Akuma
by Su Suto
Summary: By fate, Tails releases a great evil being, and Sonic and his long-lost brother must try to stop it before all hell breaks loose---literally.
1. Encounter

Disclaimer: Miles "Tails" Prower and the _Tornado II _are © Sonic Team

**1: Encounter**

All it took was one glance to ruin a perfect morning. The time on the sports watch read 11:23. In seven minutes, Miles Tails Prower would have to turn his biplane, the _Tornado II_, around and head back to Station Square to have lunch with his best friend, Sonic the Hedgehog. He could always go back out later, of course, but it was such a beautiful day. It was one of those cloudless, warm, inexplicably _clear_ days, where somethingwas bound to go wrong. But the lighthearted Tails didn't take notice to all the bad-omen talk.

He checked his watch again and growled. Two minutes had already gone by. He prepared to turn the plane around . . . slowly, of course. But as he did so, things suddenly went downhill.

The _Tornado II _jerked suddenly, slamming Tails's forehead into the windshield. The grinding of gears produced a heart-stopping shriek, and then the motor died. Tails winced and looked up, wondering why he heard only the rushing wind. The trusty biplane had _never _stalled before, save for when it was a prototype, but it was far past that stage.

Tails unbuckled his seatbelt. From the looks of things, his plane would not start again. It was going down in the ocean; luckily, Tails could swim. And fly, spinning his twin tails like helicopter blades. He decided to bail out, looking sadly around at the small interior of the _Tornado II _in case he never saw it again.

The water was rushing quickly up towards him. But as Tails prepared to leap from the pilot's seat, something snagged him. It was the seatbelt, twisted around his ankle. "Oh, _no!"_ he cried, easing himself back down to get untangled. The next thing he knew, the _Tornado II _was skimming over the ocean. It bounced twice, lifted a couple feet and smashed down hard, as if hitting concrete.

Tails was stunned, but not unconscious. He had enough sense to take a breath before sinking, and luckily the impact had jarred his ankle loose. As he went down, he stared up at the pieces of the _Tornado II _floating on the surface and thought, _Oh no, oh, no, no, no, my plane! All that hard work, and now it just crashes for no reason! _Some feeling came back to Tails, and he swam slowly up to the surface.

Once on the surface, Tails drifted around until he finally managed to grab onto a piece of the wing from the _Tornado II_. There he looked around forlornly. His plane was totally smashed; there was no hope of salvaging the pieces and rebuilding it. Beyond the sight of his wrecked plane lay the skyline of Station Square, which wasn't that far off. Tails wasn't sure if he could fly too well, now that his fur coat was thoroughly soaked. Maybe he could swim to shore, using the broken wing as a sort of life preserver. With tears gathering in his eyes, Tails began to paddle to the city.

Something flashed underwater. Tails stopped and squinted down into the darkness, straining his eyes until he was dizzy. Maybe it was just a reflection from the . . . no! He saw the flash again: a sudden bright red light that faded to dark red and eventually disappeared. Tails glanced up at the sun, then back down at the water. Finally, he stuck his head under the surface.

The light seemed to be coming from inside a hollow stone pinnacle, about fifteen feet below. Tails didn't know if he could swim that deep, especially without some sort of breathing apparatus, but he was accustomed to taking risks. He raised his head above water, took a deep breath, and dove.

The water suddenly grew very cold, and seemed to be "heavier" than normal, yet Tails had no trouble swimming so deep. No pain from the water pressure. Anyway, he had heard of people swimming up to a hundred feet on a single breath, and his worries eased. Only a bit, though.

Into the pinnacle. But the light was deeper still. Tails's chest began to feel tight, but he swam on, as if he were being drawn.

The light was in a five-by-six underwater room. And it appeared to be radiating from . . . a living thing. In the center of the room was what looked like a worm rolled into a ball. The only thing Tails could think of that resembled the thing was the pink slime from a _Ghostbusters_ movie. The worm-thing twisted and rotated as if it were injured, all the while flashing bright red and fading to dark red. Tails floated back against the wall. He was due to surface, but he didn't move. He was mesmerized.

The worm-thing stopped its methodic rotating and began to expand, slowly. Tails realized he was beginning to feel lightheaded, and swam up towards the hole in the ceiling.

Without warning, the worm-thing burst, and the brick red substance spread over the ceiling exit. Tails paddled backwards, catching himself before he gasped. The "pink slime" was spreading all over the room, blotting out the walls. Tails decided he had no choice but to push through the substance to escape. He grimaced, raised his hands . . .

Something caught him from behind. The worm-thing was still alive. It wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his sides, and dragged him back. Tails kicked and thrashed wildly, but his struggle used up his remaining oxygen. Eventually, he lost consciousness.

The worm-thing began to glow, brighter and brighter until its light was blinding. Slowly, Tails's orange fur began to turn a strange blue color, and his body trembled violently. Then, his bloodshot eyes snapped open and he let out a muted scream.

The whole room shook. Pressure built up inside like a dropped can of soda until it burst out through the substance covering the hole in the ceiling. The rock pinnacle exploded with the sudden force. A geyser of dark red water, resembling blood, shot high into the air.


	2. Paradise Lost

Disclaimer: Ashura the Hedgehog is © me

**2: Paradise Lost**

Ashura the Hedgehog was not ugly. Nor was he stupid. But when he was young, that's what he would have been considered, though he was simply different.

Ashura lived on Emerald Isle, an island separated from Station Square by about three miles of ocean. He had been abandoned there on his eighth birthday, and had never seen another creature since, not even a human. His only neighbors were the native small animals.

During Ashura's childhood, hedgehogs were lighter colors, such as different shades of violet, blue, and pink. The same went for Ashura's parents. But Ashura was the color of pea soup, and his face was black. A black stripe ran down the ridge of his top quill, and he also had an extra black quill, which had grown out of his forehead like a cowlick. Before he was abandoned, he was constantly teased about his name, appearance, shyness, and his stuttering problem. His parents were ashamed and detested him, and one horrible night his mother finally dumped him on the deserted tropical island.

Which is why Ashura would have been considered stupid, because he had been separated from society for so long. On the outside, he was a big fellow: nineteen years old and far taller than an average hedgehog, standing at four feet six inches. But his mind seemed to have frozen: trapped at eight years.

Ashura may have been simple for his age, but technically he wasn't stupid. He liked to learn, and his mind was always going, freely enjoying enthusiasm that he hadn't been able to express while living in the village. He had a good life on Emerald Isle.

Nevertheless, he still wanted companionship. He wanted a family and friends to love him. On some lonely nights, he would lie in his tiny cave behind a waterfall, gazing into the darkness, struggling to recall just what he had done to be banished from his home.

* * *

Ashura was up a tree picking coconuts when he saw the small blue plane go down in the ocean. He stared hard at it, hoping to see the pilot, but the wreck was too far away. Nothing else happened. Ashura still watched, worried and confused, but there was nothing he could do. He got a firm grip on a coconut and pulled.

A sudden explosion knocked Ashura clear out of the tree, and, unbeknownst to the hedgehog, blew out glass in a few of the taller buildings in Station Square. He let out a short, terrified cry as he fell, and landed hard on his back.

It took several seconds for Ashura to be able to move again. Wincing, he turned his head towards the ocean. He saw a dark red waterspout, stretching high into the sky and throwing the ocean into turmoil. Fierce waves bashed against the island, spraying Ashura's face with warm water . . . that smelled like blood. Ashura's stomach began churning like the ocean. He managed to stand up, gasping with pain and fear.

To his horror, the waterspout began to slice through the water towards Emerald Isle. The roar and foul smell increased as it approached.

Two seconds later, the waterspout struck and totally enveloped Emerald Isle. Something like a devastating hurricane began then. Ashura was pounded by water, slung about by the wind and nearly deafened by the sucking roar. At one point he was blown eight feet into the air, and thought he was going to be pulled into the funnel. But a sudden gust slammed him face-first onto the ground. He lay there, trembling, for only a few seconds, then forced himself to run to his home: the cave behind a waterfall. Once again, he hunched over and rested for a few seconds, and then sat down hard, not knowing what to do next. But he didn't want to die. He would leave somehow; get off the island.

Next to him on the cave floor rested his only possession: a rod. A mahogany-colored rod with a large black crystal at one end. The end that held the crystal was shaped like four clawed fingers clucthing the rock, which had been cut to resemble a lick of flame. It was an old family heirloom, but he was probably the last generation to own it since he was all alone. No son or daughter to give it to someday . . .

Silly, but Ashura didn't want to lose it. It was _his,_ the only thing that was truly _his._ His only reminder of home. With a grunt, he snatched it up and lunged back out into Hell.

The gale nearly tore the rod out of his hand. Desperate to keep his only belonging safe, he grabbed a palm leaf flapping over the ground, tore off a strip of it, and tied the rod tightly around his waist. The sharp edges cut into his skin, but at the moment he didn't notice. Chunks of the island were now being ripped off and sucked into the funnel, but somehow Ashura managed to stay on the ground, clinging to rocks and trees that hadn't come off yet. When the wind lessened a bit, he spun in a full circle, looking for a break in the wall of red water. There was none, and if he tried to jump through the funnel, he would most likely be torn apart or crushed by the force. But Ashura would rather die trying to escape than die helplessly. And what happened next forced him to make his decision.

Some sort of white glow was forming deep inside the funnel. Ashura shielded his eyes and gazed up at it. It continued to grow and brighten until he could no longer look at it. Then a fresh wave of panic swept over him. Something was telling him that this was a weapon of mass destruction; that he stood no chance at all if he didn't escape. All sense flew out of Ashura as he bolted for the edge of the island.

Something incredibly hard struck him on the right side of his face. Ashura screamed and fell to his knees, clutching the injury with a trembling hand. The object had most likely been a flying rock, and a good-sized one, too. For a moment, Ashura felt faint. The whole right side of his head was filled with a ripping pain. Something ran into his eye; for a moment, he believed it to be the rain, but then his right field of vision went red. Still, it didn't stop his attempt to escape. He stood up, ran for the wall of the waterspout, and jumped through.

Ashura was yanked viciously into the swirl of the waterspout, and he truly believed that this was it. His body felt as if it were imploding, then exploding, and being sucked inward again, over and over. His head was hammered down, forcing him to curl into a ball to prevent his neck from breaking. He was sure his skin was being ripped from his body. He tried to scream, but his breath was sucked painfully out of his lungs.

And then he was free falling, and belly flopped into the wild waves. The last thing Ashura heard and felt was the roaring water, and an explosion that propelled him into oblivion.


	3. Rescue

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog is © me

**3: Rescue**

Somehow, Ashura regained consciousness before he drowned, and immediately bolted to the surface of the ocean. After he had refilled his lungs with air, he turned back to where Emerald Isle was . . . or had been. Ashura had been correct in his assumption about the white light. Emerald Isle was destroyed. Totally. All that was left were a few large hunks of rock. A tidal wave should have pummeled Station Square as well, but somehow the waterspout had contained the blast, perhaps meaning that the city was to suffer a worse fate later on. At the time, Ashura couldn't imagine anything worse. He wouldn't have even been able to imagine this. It looked as if the green hills, tall palm trees and sparkling streams had never existed at all.

Ashura was filled with sorrow at the loss of his home until he thought his chest would burst. This was the second time! He had no place in the world now. Finally, a harsh scream of agony exploded from Ashura's mouth, lasting until his lungs were empty. But he didn't sob hopelessly as he had eleven years ago. No use crying over spilt milk, eh?

He decided he had to swim somewhere. Of course, hedgehogs are poor swimmers, but Ashura had become so upset and determined that it was like second nature to him. He dog-paddled to what he thought was a floating rock and clung to it, taking a breather. But it turned out to be a piece of packed dirt that fell apart as he put his weight on it. He sank under in the middle of a breath and came up coughing violently. He treaded water for a moment, trying to regain his strength, but the previous events and the coughing fit had exhausted him. He had thought he could swim to Station Square, but now he was just too tired.

Something was coming. Ashura looked dully over his shoulder. A large boat; a familiar-looking one, although Ashura couldn't place it at the moment. He had seen it before, though . . . Ah, yes. The coast guard. But they wouldn't possibly be able to spot one small hedgehog in the crazy waves.

They did. They headed right for him, and slowed the boat when they were next to him. People on board began talking loudly to one another, and then a rope ladder was tossed over the side. Ashura put one hand on it, and had to rest for a while just to grab it with his other hand. But then he couldn't climb up, so someone else had to climb down and drag him up. Ashura was thankful to be spared of the work, and passed out again before he was hardly on deck.

* * *

The search for Miles Prower was cut short due to the discovery of Ashura; the coast guard wanted to get him medical attention ASAP. The boat circled around the crash site of the _Tornado II_ for only a few minutes, looking for clues as to what had happened, or where Tails was. Ashura roused during the search, and saw that he was lying on a rubber mat in a cabin. Someone had put bandages over his right eye, so now he saw half-white instead of half-red. His entire body ached, especially his head and lungs. Through his hazy left eye he saw people on the deck outside: humans, leaning over the gunwale and peering into the water. Some of them were calling out, but Ashura didn't quite catch what they were saying. Maybe they were looking for someone. The pilot of that plane. Ashura hoped that the pilot hadn't had to go through what he did.

Somebody walked into the cabin and stopped in front of him. He was too hurt and afraid to look up, so he stared at the person's shoes. They were red, with white straps. _Nice, _Ashura thought. He didn't even have any shoes.

"Hey, you," the wearer of the shoes said. "You were conked out for a while there. I was starting to get worried, and I don't worry often. You got beat up pretty bad. The cap'n says you were caught in that waterspout. Were ya?"

"Yes," Ashura croaked. He rarely ever talkedthere was no need toand his voice surprised him now. Others would have noticed that it was rather hushed and gentlealmost effeminatefor a grown male, but to him it sounded so deep and scratchy. _Ugly voice._

"Then it's a miracle you're alive. That spout destroyed Emerald Isle, the _whole thing!"_

"I know." Ashura squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from falling.

The person paused a moment. "You were on that island, weren't you?" he asked flatly. Ashura exhaled quietly and rolled over to face the wall. "Sorry, man," the person muttered. "Uh . . . I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. Who're you?"

"A monster," Ashura whispered. Sonic didn't hear him. "Aw, c'mon. What's your name?"

Ashura didn't answer. He lay still enough to pretend he had fallen asleep again. Sonic sighed softly and left the cabin. Ashura remained still and silent, staring at the wall and listening to bits and pieces of the conversations outside.

After a few minutes, curiosity outweighed pain. This was the first time Ashura had been on a boat, around other _people,_ in eleven years. He tried to stand, supporting himself heavily against the wall. He had just gotten up on his knees, his white sheet gathered around his shoulders, when Sonic happened to walk inand Ashura was surprised to find that he was a hedgehog also. His fur was sleek and blue, and his eyes were emerald green and sparkled with energy. There was a small, cocky curl to his mouth. He was very thin, but athletic, and had long legs. He looked like someone who could pull a prank and get away quick.

There was something familiar about that wily face . . . Somehow.

"Feelin' better?" Sonic asked. Ashura, still wary of this stranger, changed the subject. "What . . . are you . . . looking for?" he asked slowly. He noticed that he didn't stutter while he spoke. At least no one could make fun of him for that now. ". . . My friend," Sonic replied, after some hesitation. "His . . . plane came down here. That's why I came out with the coast guard to check on it."

"I saw it," Ashura said weakly. "Then, right where he"

A sudden buzzing roar overhead startled Ashura, and he immediately collapsed on the mat again, pulling the sheet up over his head. Sonic chuckled and jerked his thumb towards the sky. "News chopper. Tails an' I are pretty popular guys. Now, what were ya sayin'?"

"Uh . . . Oh," Ashura muttered nervously, his eyes flicking about to make sure the "news chopper", whatever it was, wasn't going to hurt him. "W-where he crashed, the . . . the storm came up."

"The waterspout?"

"Yes."

Sonic peered over the gunwale once more, then looked back at Ashura. "If ya don't mind, I'd like to ask ya a few things." Ashura's response was to retreat into a corner, keeping his eyes on the floor. He burrowed down into his sheet and trembled. "All righty then," Sonic sighed, cocking an eyebrow.

* * *

Back on land, the problems began. Ashura was at first astounded by the size of the city, then became fearful of all the people and sounds. "Crazy, isn't it?" Sonic said reassuringly. "That's the way cities are. It don't bother me too much, but I guess it'll take some time for you to get used to."

An ambulance came screaming towards the dock. The sound pounded on Ashura's brain, and he groaned slightly. "That's your ride," Sonic said. "They'll be taking you to the hospital"

"What's that?" Ashura asked. At the moment he couldn't remember what a hospital was. Sonic refrained from rolling his eyes. "It's a big building where sick and hurt people get better."

"Oh. Okay." That sounded promising to Ashura.

Two paramedics hopped out of the back of the ambulance, pushing a gurney with them. Ashura backed up into a corner, frightened of the humans running towards him, but as they got closer, the clean white sheets on the gurney looked inviting. He began to feel drowsy even before the paramedics helped him onto it. The world started to blur, and the noises of the city mixed together and eventually faded.

Sonic raised his eyebrows in surprise. _He went out quick. _Sonic felt sorry for the big guy. He hoped the best for him, but couldn't care about him much longer. His best friend was lost at sea. The other hedgehog was safe now.

As the paramedics wheeled the gurney towards the ambulance, Ashura was jostled back into awareness. He was annoyed; he wanted to sleep. Raising his head slightly, he saw that he was being pushed towards a very small, metal room in the back of the noisy, box-shaped vehicle. He hated small places. He tried to sit up and found that he was strapped to the gurney. Ashura also hated any kind of restraint. It made him feel like a prisoner, helpless. Fear began to rise underneath his stupor. He tried to pull his arms free, but they were held tightly against his sides.

Now Ashura was fully awake, and struggling to get out of the straps. The paramedics spoke quickly to him, trying to get him to calm down, but he ignored them. He was being restrained, and he didn't like it. He especially didn't like the fact that the humans had done it. He hardly knew them; he had only seen them a few times in his life, and he didn't understand that they were only trying to help. He thought that the tall, hairless animals wanted to hurt him.

Sonic stopped on his way back up the gangplank, Ashura's rising panic catching his attention. He strode back down onto the docks and leaned against a streetlamp. "That isn't going to help him," he muttered to himself. "All they have to do is shoot 'im up with a sedative, and he'll be back in La-La Land."

Ashura groaned through his teeth and tried to brace himself with his feet so that he could arch his body. He was almost in the back of the ambulance now. If he was going to get away, he had to do it right now.

One of the paramedics had gone ahead inside to get a sedative, as Sonic had predicted. Now that there was only one person to hold the gurney, Ashura began to rock it. Maybe if he tipped it over, the straps would break. The paramedic hollered at his colleague to hurry up. Sonic couldn't resist laughing out loud.

The other paramedic stumbled in his haste to get out of the ambulance and dropped his syringe. It flew from his hand and skidded across the pavement. Ashura relaxed for a moment, turning his head to see what it was that the human had dropped. The first thing he saw was the sharp, gleaming needle. His heart plunged to his stomach. It was all he could to do keep from screaming.

Grumbling sharply, the human retrieved the syringe and, since he had dropped it, went back inside for another one. Ashura was getting a lucky break, but it was a short one. He arched his back and pushed against the straps with all his might. Pain shot through his aching muscles, and he was forced to stop. But then he tried again. The paramedic poked his head inside the ambulance and snapped, "Hurry up with that syringe already!"

"I'm comin', I'm com"

With a muffled snap, the straps broke.

Sonic's eyebrows almost shot off his forehead. "Holy crap," he gasped.

Ashura sat up slowly, looking curiously at what he'd done. The paramedics stared dumbly at him too, even as he hopped off the gurney. Then they snapped out of it and rushed him. "Go away," said Ashura quietly as he grabbed the gurney with both hands, lifted it off the ground and swung it at the paramedics. It missed narrowly and crashed against the ambulance, breaking into several pieces. The driver jumped out of the ambulance, and the loudmouth paramedic hollered at him to call for police assistance. While he just stood there, dumbfounded, Ashura backed away nervously. He knew he was in trouble now.

Sonic snorted, knowing it was probably up to him to stop Ashura from getting away. _Call in the furries when the humans make a blunder._ He leapt from his spot next to the streetlamp and sprinted across the dock to the parking lot. Then he launched himself into the air ten feet behind Ashura and sailed over the ground, preparing to tackle him.

Ashura turned around at the last second and stepped to the right, leaving Sonic to slam face-first into the pavement. Sonic lay still for a moment, more embarrassed than hurt. _I can't believe I _missed!

Ashura had the metallic taste of fear in his mouth now. He was so scared that he was shaking. He had thought this was a nice hedgehog, and now he was trying to hurt him, too!

Despite his fear, Ashura didn't run. He couldn't make up his mind what he wanted to do. If he stayed here, then the three humans and Sonic would pounce on him and beat some sense into him. If he ran . . . If he ran, he'd only be delaying his imminent punishment. That always seemed to make it five times worse.

Sonic raised his upper body and stared at Ashura. The big hedgehog seemed to be waiting for Sonic to get up. _Why isn't he high-tailing it outta here? Does he want to finish me off? _Sonic thought. He cautiously rolled onto his back and sat up, leaning back on his hands. Ashura stared down directly into Sonic's eyes. Sonic stared back, and saw a mix of emotions in Ashura's eyes that he knew he would never be able to understand.

After a few seconds of silence, Ashura took off.


	4. In the Big City

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog is © me

**4: In the Big City**

Once Ashura turned himself loose in the big city, his mind became a mess. He felt as if all the sights and sounds bombing him at once were poisoning him. _Which way do I go? I could run down the street, too many people, maybe a good thing, I could hide easily, but they'd notice me, I don't want to be noticed, because they'll all hate the demon._

" 'Ey, you!" Sonic shouted behind him. Close behind. "Where do you think you're goin'?" Ashura didn't know what to say, so he bolted again. Sonic slid to a stop at the spot where Ashura had just stood. _Not only is he big, but he's pretty fast. Nowhere near as fast as me, of course, but still . . . _The strange new hedgehog was beginning to trouble Sonic. _Better keep up with 'im to be on the safe side, he_ thought.

Far ahead, Ashura had stopped again, this time in front of a small shop. He was looking about like a cornered animal, and people were beginning to stop and stare. _Looks like I'm not the only one who draws crowds anymore, _Sonic thought, speeding down the sidewalk.

Ashura pressed himself against the glass window of the sewing shop, staring fearfully at the people on the sidewalk. He could have easily run away, but the humans seemed to be on all sides at once. They looked at him, some pointed, a few that were driving even pulled over to see what was going on. It was just as Ashura had thought. They were all noticing him, and probably thought he was ugly. Then he turned his head and saw Sonic coming towards him again. _Why won't he leave me alone? _Before Ashura could make his move, Sonic called out, "Hold it! Don't go anywhere!" He skidded to a stop next to Ashura. "What is it exactly that you're running from?"

_You. Everyone. _Ashura looked in the other direction, but was faced with more people. Grudgingly, he looked back at Sonic. "I'm _waiiiting,_"the blue hedgehog said impatiently, tapping his foot.

The gathering crowd was making Ashura nervous; he almost spoke to Sonic, but then saw a gap in the mass of people and started to make a break for it. "Oh, no, ya don't," Sonic said, grabbing his arm.

Ashura threw Sonic to the ground, and gasped in shock. He hadn't meant to knock Sonic down; just push him away. Sonic quickly bounced up on his feet. "I've had enough o' this, Tarzan," he growled. "I tried ta be nice ta you, but you screwed up. And like it or not, you can't get away from me. I'm the fastest thing alive."

"If you catch me," Ashura said practically, "where will you take me?" Sonic hesitated. He hadn't thought of that. His main focus had been to catch the weird green hedgehog. "To the police station, of course," he replied, trying to make up for the pause. Hesitation meant indecision, and indecision wasn't good for a fast-paced, daredevil guy like him.

Ashura lowered his head, but kept eye contact with Sonic. And there was a threatening look in those big blue eyes. He was getting angry now. "Leave me alone," he said quietly. Sonic almost laughed. "Leave you alone? Is that the best comeback you've got? Just how long have you been playing Castaway on that island? Do you know who I am?" A low murmur spread across the crowd.

The attack came so suddenly that Sonic wasn't ready for it. Ashura rushed at him and drove his elbow into Sonic's stomach, putting his whole weight behind the blow. Sonic crumpled to the ground immediately, gasping. The murmuring in the crowd increased sharply. "I'm sorry," Ashura saidand truly meant itbefore he made his escape. Nobody tried to stop him.

Sonic felt as if he'd been struck by a brick. Notwo bricks. Maybe more. He wanted to puke and pass out. _Oh my God, did he rupture something? Guy must be stronger than he thinks. I'll be feeling this in the morning. _Sonic tried to stand but only succeeded in rising to his knees. "Get . . . back here!" he said weakly, swaying from side to side. _Get it together, Sonic. Don't blow chunks in front of a crowd. _Far off, he could hear police sirens approaching. _Hopefully they'll catch him on the run._ _Little rat. _

"Nobody gets away from me," Sonic snarled, getting to his feet. "Screw the cops. I'll find 'im myself." He took three steps and hurled.

* * *

Ashura dashed into an alley and automatically slipped behind a dumpster. His heart thundered away in his chest, serving to increase the pain in his body. But he felt he deserved it. _Yep. You're in trouble, Ashura. You're really a bad boy. You did it now. You broke that bed, you ran away, and now you hurt Sonic. He was right. He was trying to be nice. Maybe he wasn't trying to hurt you. You're still stupid, Ashura._

The alley was dark, damp and far quieter than out on the sidewalk. It stank to high heaven behind the dumpster, but Ashura felt slightly safer and more secure. He forced himself to stay awake, though. His body ached and begged him for rest, but his mind would not allow it. He could be found at any time, and would have to be on his feet in the blink of an eye.

_They'll get you. Doesn't matter if you run. Can't get away from no one. Bad boys always get punished . . ._

Eventually, his head nodded, his eyelids slid shut and he was out cold.

Near two minutes later, Sonic was shuffling past the alley with one hand on his stomach. _I'll bet the rat is back there somewhere, _he thought bitterly, squinting into the shadows. And just as he thought, the black orb of Ashura's rod was shining in the sunlight for all to see. _Behind the dumpster. Right where he belongs._

He spat on the sidewalk and tiptoed towards the dumpster. Ashura was curled up behind it, hugging his knees. Even in sleep, he still looked terribly stressed. His breathing was not quite steady either. And Sonic couldn't really tell, since Ashura's fur was still damp from his fall into the ocean, but he thought he saw tear tracks on the hedgehog's cheeks. _Guy's messed up._

As Sonic reached out to grab him, Ashura's left ear turned slowly in his direction. Sonic jumped back, and it suddenly hit him that the hedgehog only had one ear!

No. Wait. No he didn't. His right ear had been broken. It was bent in half and drooped over, making it hard to see on the other side of Ashura's head. It didn't even look like it could move.

Sonic caught himself wondering how the injury had occurred, but brushed the query aside. When nothing happened after a few seconds, he lunged.

Ashura awoke immediately and let out a startled yelp as something struck him and dragged him out from behind the dumpster. His fear only increased when he looked up and saw Sonic the Hedgehog. He forced himself to be strong. "I . . . I thought I got rid of you," he growled. He sounded pathetic.

Sonic leaned over, poked Ashura in the chest and said in a low voice, "_Nobody _gets rid of me. Especially . . ." he looked Ashura up and down, "something like _you._"

Ashura got to his feet, and the tables turned. Now Sonic was the one looking up at the giant hedgehog. But size alone didn't sway Sonic. He glared into Ashura's eyes and began, "Now, listen here, tall, dark and ugly . . ."

Ashura barely heard the rest of Sonic's threat. It was happening again. Someone had called him _ugly_. Just like they all had when he was a child. Ashura felt his throat tighten, but would not cry. He was an adult now, and adults didn't cry when provoked. They got even. Halfway through Sonic's threatening speech, Ashura socked him in the face and sent him flying to the entrance of the alley. As Sonic hit the ground with a groan of pain, Ashura stared at his own fist, stunned. Why had he done that? He wasn't a hostile creature by nature. He'd rather hide underneath something than throw a punch.

_Don't feel bad,_ murmured a quiet voice in the back of his head._ You're a big boy now. You can't be scared of little wimps._

Knocked down again by the freak hedgehog. Sonic was beginning to see red. He wiped his nose and stood up. "That's it," he snarled. "That's the last straw. Now it's your turn to go down."

"I didn't mean"

Sonic leapt into the air, curled into a spiny ball, and launched himself at Ashura. Ashura wasn't quick enough to dodge the attack, and took the hit on his chest. Had Sonic struck with any greater speed, he would have broken a few of Ashura's ribs. Ashura stumbled backwards and toppled over. Sonic, still spinning in the air, hit him twice more on the head, almost knocking him out. "What's wrong, Tarzan?" Sonic sneered once he returned to the ground. "Am I goin' too fast for ya? Don't wimp out now. Don't start what ya can't finish."

Ashura was getting up. Sonic gritted his teeth. _I wish I could say I hated his persistence_He ran at Ashura_but then I'd be a hypocrite. _This time, Sonic used a somersault to flip Ashura over on his back. Ashura let out a rather pathetic scream of pain when he hit the ground. Sonic took a fighting stance, waiting to see if he would get up this time. When he didn't move, Sonic ventured closer.

Ashura immediately curled into a ball, with his hands over his head, shivering. "I-I'm s-sorry, Sonic," he squeaked. "I was bad. D-don't hurt me more. Okay? Please?"

Sonic froze, thoroughly surprised. He didn't know what to do now. This guy was acting like a little kid! Maybe he was crazy. Maybe it was a trick. "Get up," Sonic snapped. "Get up. Right now."

Whimpering, Ashura slowly uncurled himself and rose timidly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Sonic gave him a hard shove backwards. "Shut up, ya nut! I wanna know what the hell's wrong with ya! You retarded or somethin'?"

"I'm not stupid," Ashura murmured, shaking his head. "Then you're crazy," Sonic concluded. "Effed-up in yer head."

"No . . ."

"I won't hurt ya no more, if you just chill out and come with me."

"No. You will. You'll all hurt me."

Sonic peered closely into Ashura's face. He'd never met anyone like this guy. Ashura's appearance contrasted sharply with his demeanora little kid trapped in a young man's body. Perhaps the big hedgehog was retarded.

Perhaps.

It was weird, but the way Ashura was acting was becoming more and more familiar to Sonic. He'd seen this kind of paranoia before. That constant shaking . . . Irrational fear of everyone around him . . .

Then something hit him. But not physically. He seemed to be ripped out of the current time and thrown back, many years . . . into a dark memory.

_A little boy sat curled in a corner. His skinny body was covered in what looked like mere cut-outs from a burlap sack, rather than actual clothing. His hands, clad in the same brown, threadbare material, hid his face. He was shaking and whining._

"What's wrong?" Sonic asked this child, and was surprised at the sound of his voice. It . . . It was . . . so high-pitched. As if he were a little boy, too.

_The child in the corner removed his hands from his face, and gazed up at Sonic. __"I'm a bad boy," squeaked the child._

The flashback . . . vision . . . whatever it wasended abruptly. Sonic wasn't in a dark room anymore; he was in an outside alley. That tearful, miserable face was still in front of himonly it was looking down at _him,_ now. "Ashura," he said experimentally. The word had come to him out of nowhere. _Out of the memory._

The black face tilted to one side curiously. "What?"

"That's your name, ain't it? Ashura? Means _demon?"_

"Uh . . . Y-yes. H-how did you know?"

Sonic took a deep breath. He shouldn't say it. One little scene in his head wasn't enough to support anything. But that scene was sort of like a doorway into his mind. Little bits and pieces of memory that had been buried back there over the years were tumbling out, one at a time, like a cluttered closet.

It turned out he didn't have to say anything, because now Ashura had figured it out, too. Without warning, he threw his arms around Sonic and lifted him off the ground in a bearhug. _"Shit!"_ Sonic cried in surprise. "What the hell are ya doing! _Put me down!"_

"I-I should have knew it . . ." Ashura whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry I forgot . . ."

_"Get off!"_

"Mommy's name is Bernadette, but everyone called her Bernie, right? And Daddy . . . He was Jules. Isn't that right? That's their names? I didn't forget . . ."

Sonic stopped struggling. That was all he needed to hear. The names of his parents were Jules and Bernadette Hedgehog. He hadn't seen them in years.

He hadn't seen his older brother for an even longer time.

Until now.

"And my . . . my little brother . . . He was Sonic. That's what people called him. 'Cuz he was so fast . . . He was cool . . ."

"You put me down now, or I'll nail ya in the nads," Sonic said. Ashura promptly did as he was told, almost dropping the smaller hedgehog in his haste.

The brothers stared at each other. My, how they both had changed. All Sonic could think was: _He was on that damn island this whole time. Damn it, I coulda _found_ him!_

And Ashura was thinking: _Sonic is still cool. People still like him better._

With a heavy, frustrated groan, Sonic turned briskly and walked toward the fence at the back of the alley. "Where are you going?" Ashura asked worriedly. Was Sonic going to leave him? Wasn't he happy to see his big brother after all these years?

Sonic glanced back for a brief moment. "I'm going home," he said, a bit hoarsely, "and you're coming with me."

"I . . . I am?" Ashura was stunned and relieved at the same time. "But . . ."

"Let's go," Sonic snapped. "We have to hurry. It won't be long before police and reporters and _people _are everywhere. You don't like people, do you?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and Ashura lowered his ears slightly. "How will we get past them all?"

"I know a way through the back lots that will take us right to the back of the apartment building I live in," Sonic said, "but we really need to get goin' if we're gonna get there unnoticed. Stay close to me." He curled himself into a ball and bounced up and down on the ground like a basketball, shooting himself high enough to clear the fence. Ashura took a running start and leapt towards the fence, managing to grab the top and pull himself over, causing murderous pain to his battered body. He didn't pay much attention to it, though. This terrible day was finally getting somewhere. Cautiously but with brightening spirits, he stole after Sonic.

Above them, the beautiful blue sky suddenly filled with heavy clouds.

* * *

Sonic and Ashura slipped quietly across the grassy back lot and in through the backdoor of the Oceanside Heights apartment building. Nobody was in the lobby, but the hedgehogs could hear a TV going somewhere nearby.

Sonic jogged over to a pair of double doors and pressed a button on the right. A few moments later, there was a ding and the doors opened to reveal a very small, empty room. Sonic stepped into it, but Ashura was hesitant. "Get _in _here," Sonic hissed. "Quick." Ashura stepped inside and leaned against the wall at the very back. Sonic pressed another button, this one inside the room, and the doors slid shut. There was a slight humming sound, and Ashura sensed motion. He quivered.

Sonic stood as far away from Ashura as he could. He needed time to think this over. He could put up with a lot of things, but having an estranged, retarded relative _(the Rainhog, _he thought) drop out of the sky (_or rise up outta the ocean_) after eleven years was a totally new situation. He glanced at Ashura out of the corner of his eye, and saw that his brother was looking back. "Sonic . . ." Ashura said softly. "I'm . . . I'm"

"Just be quiet," Sonic muttered. There was another ding, and the doors slid open to reveal the hallway leading to Sonic's penthouse apartment. _The Rainhog comes home, _Sonic thought as he motioned for Ashura to follow him. _What would Tom Cruise do?_


	5. Akuma Incarnate

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog, Akuma & Sakana Uni are © me

**5: Akuma Incarnate**

"All right, you. For now, just sit on the couch," Sonic said to Ashura as they entered the penthouse. "Wait, don't! Do not sit on my couch with your dirty self." Ashura frowned at him. "Just sit on the floor, all right?" Still frowning, Ashura sat where he was. Did he do something to make Sonic mad? Well, after the way he had acted, he couldn't blame the little guy for being mad at him.

Sonic threw himself down on a recliner and sighed loudly. "What a day."

After a period of silence, he stood up and wandered to the window overlooking the coast. He sighed again. _I don't suppose they've found Tails yet. They're probably not even looking for _him _anymore, now that this other guy is loose._

"I'm sorry about your friend," Ashura spoke up timidly. "I hope he's all right."

"Thanks," Sonic muttered. More silence. Then, "You are lucky to have a friend," Ashura said.

"Why?"

"I don't have any."

"I see."

Silence. Sonic continued to stare out the window. Ashura began to nod off again.

A sudden peal of thunder jolted him to his feet. Sonic smirked. "Scared of storms? You'd think living outdoors would cure that." But Ashura no longer viewed storms in the same way. As lighting flashed, he squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his hands over his ears. Sonic shook his head. "What a moron." As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt awful about them. But it was too late to take them back, so he ignored the remorse. He turned back to the window to watch the spectacle.

"Wow." The sky was weighed down with billowing, bluish-gray storm clouds that stretched as far as Sonic could see. Out over the ocean, lightning skipped and flashed across the bottom of the clouds. Now, how the Hell could such a storm come on so fast? "That doesn't look good," Sonic said, drawing the curtains shut. "Thank you," Ashura said quietly. Sonic didn't reply.

The room would have once again lapsed into silence, if it weren't for the oncoming storm. Sonic flopped onto the couch and turned on his TV. Ashura let out a little gasp. There . . . there were tiny people in that box! They were moving . . . and talking! Oh, what _was_ this marvelous item? Unable to contain his curiosity, Ashura moved carefully on all fours towards the television. Sonic watched him with raised eyebrows. The guy looked like a friggin' dog. Crooked ear and all.

Ashura was blocking his view now. He was so close to the TV screen, his nose was nearly touching it. Inside the box, a tiny man and woman were on a stage, screaming in each other's faces and pointing rapidly at one another. Their fight was punctuated by frequent beeping noises, and other people off-screen were shouting, _"JER-RY! JER-RY!"_ Bigger men in black T-shirts were striding around the stage, keeping an eye on the two fighters.

"Excuse me," Ashura whispered to them. "Please don't fight." The people didn't seem to hear him. Ashura twitched his left ear and raised a finger to the screen.

Not only was there solid glass between him and the humans, but the glass seemed to give his finger a tiny nip when he touched it. Ashura gasped and shot backwards, away from the TV, bumping his head on the coffee table behind him. With a disgusted groan, Sonic turned the TV off and picked up a magazine lying on the coffee table. Ashura glanced woefully over his shoulder. He had done another bad thing. He should stop being so stupid and mind his own business like he was supposed to.

The lights flickered, which seemed to tick Sonic off for no reason. He sat up straight all of a sudden, cursing under his breath. Then he looked down at Ashura, who was now under the coffee table with his hands over his ears. Sympathy crept into his heartafter all, Ashura was just a kid on the inside, and his brotherbut he pushed it down. "It's nothing to be scared of, Ashura. I've seen worse, trust me. And you look like an idiot under there."

"I'm not an idiot," Ashura replied softly. "I'm scared."

"Yeah, same difference. Big guy like you, scared o' storms."

"A storm" Ashura made the mistake of trying to sit up, and whacked his head against the glass underside of the table. He fell silent for several seconds, thoroughly embarrassed, then continued miserably, "A storm broke the island. My home."

The phone rang above him. Ashura twisted his head to look up at it through the glass tabletop. He couldn't recall if he had ever seen a telephone before. He watched intently as Sonic picked up the receiver and muttered, "Hello."

Thunder crashed. A loud buzz followed. Sonic was thrown clear to the other side of the room and slammed against the wall, knocking over the couch and a plaque from the wall on his way. The smell of burning hair quickly arose.

Ashura wailed and covered his head with his hands. The receiver lay on the floor near him, blackened around the earpiece and smoking slightly. Sonic had been electrocuted through his phone. Ashura wanted to run again, wanted to run so badbut then he realized that he had to make sure Sonic was all right. He couldn't leave his little brother when he was hurt, could he?

Ashura scrambled out from under the coffee table, leapt over the fallen couch, and ran to the corner where Sonic sagged against the wall, his eyes half-open and rolled up into his head. The fur on his right ear was singed and steaming. Ashura grabbed Sonic by the shoulders and shook him. "Sonic, are you all right? Oh, Sonic . . ."

Sonic opened his eyes a little wider, but they focused on nothing. He smiled dumbly and muttered a short, incoherent sentence, following by a light giggle. Ashura had no idea what he was saying (or laughing about, for that matter), but he supposed the talking was a good sign. As he let out a sigh of relief, the smell of smoke became stronger, and the air, hazy. Ashura looked back at the phone. Wispy blue smoke was floating out of the ear– and mouthpiece. That wasn't right, he knew.

Something else began to happen then. The blue smoke swirled upward and seemed to be taking on form. It was turning into something. Ashura squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, beginning to panic. He was getting the same harried, trapped feeling that he'd had on Emerald Isle, in the middle of the funnel. Almost without knowing, he pulled Sonic protectively closer.

A deep, smooth male voice said, "You have too many fears, Ashura the Hedgehog," and it was not Sonic. He heard footsteps coming towards him, and the sarcastic voice continued. "Look at you. You're a man; a full-grown hedgehog, and you're shaking like a leaf. I've seen pathetic things in my day, but _you_ are at the top of the list for certain." Someone clutched Ashura's shoulder and spun him around. Ashura swung his fist blindly and felt it connect. His eyes snapped open.

The speaker was a fox. A blue fox, with dark red eyes. And it was obvious that something was not right with him. He was far too small to have such a deep voice, and too strong. Ashura had not hit the fox; the fox had caught his fist in his hand.

Plus, he had two tails.

Ashura attempted to growl, but only managed a harsh squeaking sound in his throat, and swung his other fist. The fox caught it, too. Then he pinned Ashura's arms by his sidesholding his fists securely against the floorand came nose-to-nose with him. "I'll get right to the point," he said. "My name is Akuma. I aim to rule this petty planet very soon. _You_ will be my plaything for the next week or so . . . or maybe the rest of your sad, pointless life, depending on how much fun I have with you. You will experience Hell as you have never known it."

Sonic muttered something again, catching Akuma's attention. For a brief moment, his eyes turned sky blue as he looked at the hedgehog. Ashura used the pause well: he brought up his foot and kicked Akuma in his stomach. As soon as the fox released Ashura's fists, the hedgehog delivered a crushing blow to his jaw. _You don't ever hurt my brother,_ he thought coldly.

"You . . ." Sonic mumbled, pointing at Ashura. "What're you doin' in m'house?"

"You brought me here," Ashura said, lifting him to his feet. "Please act normal. I need your help."

"What help?" Sonic asked in a perfectly normal voice, though he spoke nonsense. "Get out my house . . . There's Tails . . ." Ashura felt Akuma's hand strike him in the small of his back, and he fell to the floor, temporarily paralyzed. "Good . . . Get'm out, Tails," Sonic went on, having no idea what he was saying. "Gladly," Akuma replied, grabbing hold of Ashura's legs. He was helpless as the fox dragged him across the living room, grabbed his long extra quill and stood him up. Then he turned him around, and Ashura saw he was facing the window. The curtains flew open, revealing the angry skies and empty air. A single thought flashed through Ashura's mind: _He's going to throw me out the window. _"_Sonic!_" he screamed. "_Sonic, help me!_"

His cries brought Sonic back to full consciousness. "Oh my God," he whispered when he saw a blue Tails look-alike preparing to throw Ashura through the window. He lunged, and managed to tackle the fox to the floor in the nick of time. Ashura fell against the wall and scrambled back as far as he could, until his back touched a small metal bookcase. Sonic stood up quickly. "Tails, you're all right! . . . No . . . What's happened to you?"

"Tails is now nobody's concern," Akuma said, sitting up. "His empty-minded soul has been cast away forever, its place taken by something much greater."

"Get away from the window, Sonic," Ashura warned, his voice little more than a whisper. Sonic heard the message, but it was too late. An invisible force, like a bomb exploding, threw him through the glass and several feet away from the building. Then he began to fall.

"_No!_" Ashura cried, running to the window and peering out. Leftover shards of glass sliced into his palms, but he ignored them. Sonic was falling rapidly, screaming in terror. Normally, he was used to falling from great heights; he even _leapt _from them. But it was as if a giant hand were forcing him down; he was falling so fast, his quills bent upwards, and he couldn't turn over to try and land on his feet.

It was like a reflexive action; Ashura jumped out of the window. "Fool," Akuma sneered, vanishing into thin air.

Ashura stretched out and actually willed himself to fall faster. Not exactly the first thought to come to someone falling from the top of a six-story building. But he had an idea; if he could catch Sonic before they reached the ground, then he could flip himself underneath Sonic, and hit the ground first. Sonic could possibly be spared death. Of course, that would mean Ashura would die. He knew that, but ignored it. He was unneeded; Sonic wasn't.

Not fast enough. Sonic would hit the ground before Ashura could reach him. _I'm dying for nothing. Sonic will die too. It's my fault. _Tears came to his eyes as the gap between Sonic and the lawn below closed. Fifteen feet, eight feet, three feet . . .

And thena stunning flash, similar to lightning but much brighter, followed by darkness.

* * *

Ashura saw the golden light all around, and felt very warm and calm, and thought, _I must be dead._ It was the only explanation he could think of. He had never felt like this before.

Through the golden haze covering his body, he saw a face. Not too much of the detail; just the outline of the face, eyes and nose. _Who are you? _Ashura tried to ask, but found that he couldn't speak. He couldn't move. Maybe the fall had left him permanently damaged.

Maybe he was in heaven.

_Demons can go to heaven?_

A feeling of intense fatigue swept over him suddenly, and Ashura felt like fifty-pound weights had been hung from his eyelids. Reluctantly, he allowed himself to sleep.

* * *

When Ashura next awoke, he was staring up at a sandstone ceiling. The atmosphere was cold, and the floor was gritty and . . . soft, somehow. Ashura closed his fist, and brought it up to his face. When he opened it, sand drifted out, and he barely had time to close his eyes. _Sand? A cold feeling? I must be . . . _Ashura sat up quickly and looked around just in time to see a large, orange-and-black fish swim past the cave entrance. He felt sick suddenly, realizing that he was in water . . . and still breathing.

He looked to his left, and saw that Sonic was here also. He was lying still, covered by a golden veil of light. Ashura didn't have much memory of being awake earlieror dreaming, whatever it was, but he remembered himself being surrounded by the same golden light. _I wonder what that's for?_

Then he remembered jumping out of the window, and the other injuries he had received that day. They were all gone. Amazed, Ashura looked at his hands, sliced by glass: no cuts. He felt the side of his face. No blood, no lump, no pain. He didn't know whether to be shocked, or to just shrug it off. He had been shocked all day; he wasn't sure there was much more that could surprise him.

Standing next to Sonic was the strangest human Ashura had even seen. He wasn't even sure if he could call her a _human._ Her skin was ashen gray, and her nearly waist-length hair was pink. The hair was pushed back, revealing pointed ears.

She was a slender creature, dressed almost entirely in black. She wore a tight black halter dress that covered her feet, numerous black bracelets on each wrist, and two black chokers. On the front of her dress were two pointed golden lines, one running from chest to mid-thigh and the other wrapping around her waist. These lines intersected over her navel, making a sort of cross. The collar of her dress stuck out in tiny spikes. And speaking of spikesthere were six long black spines growing out of her back; three on each side. She was also very tall, undoubtedly over six feet, dwarfing Ashura.

The hedgehog was both fearful and spellbound. There was something beautiful about this creature, in a powerful, haunting sort of way. She stood with her back ramrod straight, her head bowed, eyes closed and hands folded behind her back. She was whispering something, but Ashura couldn't hear her.

After a couple more minutes, the golden veil faded, revealing Sonic unconscious but unharmed. The woman opened her slanted, jade green eyes and looked up at Ashura. The timid hedgehog stared back, but he wasn't looking her in the face. He kept his eyes focused on her slim body. Her sides seemed to rise and fall in an unnatural way with each breath, rather than her chest. _Gills,_ Ashura thought distantly. _She breathes with gills. How am I breathing?_

The woman smiled pleasantly. "Are you feeling better?" she asked gently. Ashura had never heard a voice like hers. The calm kindness in it made him tremble. "Don't be afraid," the woman said. "I know you have had a terrible day, but you are quite safe here. I am using my power to keep a barrier of oxygen around the both of you, so you won't have to worry about drowning."

"Is my brother alright?" Ashura asked, his voice almost a whisper. The woman nodded. "You both will be fine."

"Th . . . Thank you," Ashura said. "You're quite welcome," the woman replied.

There was a period of silence (nervous on Ashura's behalf), in which Sonic began to stir. As soon as he opened his eyes, he yelped and scrambled as far backwards as he could. The woman seemed not to be surprised by his actions, and watched with a look of amusement. "Sonic, she's not going to hurt you!" Ashura cried, crawling across the sand to him. "She made us better, and she's keeping us alive right now!" Sonic glanced at him, then back at the strange woman. "He speaks the truth," she said. Sonic exhaled slowly, as if he had been holding his breath. "Whatever. Guess I'll believe anything today."

"How did we get here . . . and who are you?" Ashura asked. "I am Sakana Uni," said the woman, "and it was I who saved the two of you from your fall. I have also erased the memory of that event from the minds of all who saw it. Everyone thinks that you," Sakana looked at Sonic, "are still after your brother, and that he is still at large."

"But _how?_" Sonic asked. "The extent of my psychic power perplexes even me," Sakana said. "But I still pale in comparison to Akuma. He is possibly the strongest physical being in the universe." Sonic and Ashura glanced uncertainly at each other.

Then Ashura asked, "What do Sonic and I have to do with the monster?"

"You have not yet found out?" Sakana asked, her eyes holding a look that said she didn't want to be the one to tell him. Ashura shook his head solemnly. Sakana sighed. "Judging from your past, I'm not surprised anyone hasn't told you of your legacy."

_She knows everything,_ Ashura thought. He looked at Sonic again, but Sonic was staring at Sakana. She sighed again, and began to tell Ashura of his destiny.


	6. Revelations

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Jules & Bernadette Hedgehog are © Archie / Ashura the Hedgehog, Akuma & Sakana Uni are © me

**6: Revelations**

"One thousand years ago lived one of your ancestors, Ashura. His destiny was the same as yours, but he didn't know it, either. Until Akuma, the great evil, was freed from where he had been imprisoned for"

"A thousand years," Sonic guessed. Sakana nodded. "Every thousand years, he has been released in one way or another from the Pit; in this case, through Miles's body."

"How'd you know his name?" Sonic demanded. "She knows everything," Ashura said mystically. Sonic rolled his eyes as Sakana continued.

"Your ancestor's only weapon was this; the Enjeru Rod." Sakana spread her hands apart, and Ashura's rod appeared, floating between her palms. Both hedgehogs gasped; Ashura hadn't even realized that it was gone from his side until now. "It may not look like it, but within this crystal orb is the power necessary to defeat Akuma's final form," said Sakana, taking the Rod in one hand.

"So basically, all ya gotta do is wait for him to power up, then whack him on the head with that?" Sonic asked. Sakana scowled at him. "It is nowhere near that easy. Akuma has three or four stages of development, depending on how fast he gains strength. Each stage is more powerful and dangerous than the last. Even if you manage to survive until his last stage, there is no guarantee that he will be defeated. It all depends on the Chosen One: you, Ashura."

_"M-me?"_ Ashura gasped. He suddenly felt sick again. "N-no. I can't."

"You must," Sakana said. "To give up without trying is cowardice. You'll be letting the whole world down." The sentence hit Ashura like a rock between the eyes, but he still protested. "I am not a coward! How could a coward have lived as long as me! And why should I risk my life for people that don't care about me!"

"It is your destiny," Sakana said. "Now that Akuma has taken a body, there is no reversing this."

"Can't we just call an old priest and a young priest?" Sonic asked. Sakana gave him a dangerous glare, silencing him.

"I've always been tricked because I was taught to respect everyone," Ashura said. "I don't want to be a stupid wimp anymore. I want to be strong. And no one will tell me what to do . . . Not even fate."

"You're gonna defy fate?" Sonic asked with a chuckle. "That takes guts." Ashura nodded, either overlooking or not noticing Sonic's sarcasm.

Sakana looked at the dark green hedgehog with sympathy. "You may try to ignore this. You may try to resist. But it is in you, Ashura. No matter what, you will fight. And if your heart is strong enough, you will win. All the others in the past have, or the world wouldn't be the way it is today."

"Did they live?" Ashura asked. Sakana averted her eyes. "Out of all the successors, only two have lived past the battle."

Then she began to speak to Sonic. "You and I are the ones who must aid and protect Ashura at all costs, even if it means our lives. We are bodyguards, in a sense."

Sonic gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His life had been going just fine for once, until his goddamn retard of a brother and this evil body-snatching monster suddenly showed up out of nowhere. Now he would have to put his life on the line, but for _Ashura._ Some freaked-out simpleton he hardly knew. "And what if I refuse?" he asked coldly. "As I have said, those who do not accept the tasks given to them are cowards," Sakana said plainly.

Sonic looked hatefully at his nervous brother. "It's all your fault!" he shouted. "No it's not!" Ashura cried. "I can't help any of this!"

"Don't take your anger out on him," Sakana said sternly. "It is none of our faults. Not Ashura's, not Miles's, not mine or yours. This is the way the world is. It's routine, if you will."

_Routine? _Sonic just couldn't take it. He leapt towards Ashura and punched him in the jaw. The big hedgehog promptly collapsed on his side. "_That's_ for ever existing!" Sonic screamed at him. Ashura curled up tightly, feeling as if he could shield himself from all the pain that way. _Sonic is right. I don't need to be here. The world can find another savior._

Sonic's fingers dug painfully into the palms of his hands. He wanted more. He got to his feet and loomed over his brother. Sakana watched with narrowed eyes, doing nothing to stop the confrontation.

Standing over Ashura, Sonic raised his fist again. He needed a punching bag, and this guy was as good as any. _Better_ than any, for that matter.

_Sonic._

He heard a voice. In his head.

_This is not what heroes do. They do not harm the innocent, or take their anger out on them. Do they?_

He realized that the voice was Sakana's.

_Don't you remember? All his life, your brother was beaten senselessly. You were the only person who loved him. And now you're hurting him as well. He needs you, Sonic; for support and love. Now more than ever._

Ashura peered out from under his arm, wondering why Sonic was taking so long to hit him. As Sonic looked down into that single blue eye, so filled with fear and pain, he knew it would be one of those unforgettable images.

Suddenly, Sakana's hand clamped tightly on his shoulder. "Leave him alone," she said softly. Well, she didn't have to worry; Sonic, stunned by her telepathic ability, had become a statute. And after looking into his poor brother's eye, he felt like he should go to the electric chair for his cruelty. Sakana moved past him and knelt down by Ashura. Sonic looked away from them.

Sakana put a hand on Ashura's trembling shoulder. "You're all right," she said gently. "Get up." Slowly, the hedgehog uncurled from his protective position and sat up, a wounded, puppy-dog look in his eyes. Sonic couldn't look at him; he felt such a mix of disgust and sympathy. Sakana faced Sonic. "Now, if you are ready to act civilized and listen to me, perhaps I will be able to aid the two of you.

"Even with me on your side, there is not much we can do to protect ourselves, or others. There will be deaths. Hate, cruelty and suffering is what Akuma enjoys the most. All we can do is battle each of his forms and try to stay alive. That's all there is to it."

"Sounds easy enough," Sonic grumbled under his breath. Sakana handed the Enjeru Rod to Ashura. "Keep this with you at all times," she said. "And you must _never_ let it fall into Akuma's hands, or all is lost. If _he_ is able to wield this power . . ." Sakana trailed off, but her silence spoke for itself: _We're screwed._

"I've told you basically all you need to know for now. It's time for you to leave. Be on guard."

"Hey, wai" Sonic started, but Sakana interrupted him: "Whenever you need me, I will be there." She began to glow, and her hair billowed. Sonic and Ashura quickly shielded their eyes as the light from her intensified. Both experienced a sensation as if their bodies were diffusing. And then all feeling faded.

* * *

When Sonic opened his eyes again, he wasn't lying in a cave under the ocean, but on his couch in his apartment. Ashura lay curled in the recliner, clutching the Enjeru Rod, still asleep. Sonic sat bolt upright. At first he was surprised to see a big, black and green hedgehog sleeping in his apartment, but then he remembered the events of the day, and Sakana Uni. "Oh, shit," he muttered.

He stared at Ashura for a moment, and finally allowed room for sympathy in his heart. _We're in deep now. We might as well be in it together. _He slowly got up, crossed the room and shook Ashura's shoulder. "Ashura?" he said softly. "Wake up. You all right?" Ashura roused slowly and looked up at Sonic. "I'm okay," he answered softly. "Great," Sonic said. He looked over his shoulder at the window, which he had been flung through not too long ago. It was repairedsolid, and without a crack. "Oh, she's good," Sonic whispered.

"So what do we do now?" Ashura asked. "Akuma could be anywhere."

"I don't know, and I know," Sonic muttered. Ashura gave him a confused look. Sonic sighed heavily, and snatched the remote off the coffee table. He turned the TV on, and once again, Ashura was enthralled by the small moving pictures. Sonic looked at his telephone for a moment, then unhooked it, picked it up and carried it out into the kitchen. Ashura watched him depart, then turned his attention back to the television. On it, an old man was trying to settle a dispute between an apathetic young man and a young woman who proclaimed, _"He's the daddy!"_

Ashura frowned. _Why does everyone fight?_

The man on TV suddenly reminded Ashura of his own daddy. He was just like that man: a cold, indifferent look on his face. At least, when Ashura was around. He always smiled at Sonic or Bernadette. He hugged them, too, and talked to them.

But he only glared at Ashura, and hit him and hollered at him.

Shivering, Ashura turned his attention to the angry woman.

The room was suddenly plunged into darkness, punctuated by occasional flashes of light. The people on TV weren't so tiny anymore. They weren't even humans anymore. They were hedgehogs now. The woman was Bernadette Hedgehog, and the man, Jules Hedgehog. Ashura's mother was screaming her head off at him.

_"Don't you touch me! You can't hurt me like you hurt him! You BASTARD"_

"Stop it, Mommy," Ashura whimpered. "Oh, please, stop. He's going to hurt you . . ."

"Hurt who?"

The room lit up again. Ashura's parents turned back into humans, and shrank back into the TV. Ashura realized that he was hunched over, clutching at his head and shaking violently.

"You hurt? Hey . . . Ash . . ."

Ashura gasped and flicked his head to the left. There was Sonic, bent over next to him. "What's up, man?" He cautiously reached out one hand and laid it on Ashura's head. The older hedgehog flinched under his touch, but didn't freak out as Sonic had expected him to.

"I . . . I'm not hurt . . . Um . . ." Ashura dared to look back at the TV screen, then shut his eyes. That memory . . . It was the Bad Night. The night when he had to go away from home. "Ccould you . . . please . . . turn that off?"

Sonic blinked in puzzlement, but said "Sure" and did so. "You, uh . . . You like pizza?" Ashura didn't answer him. He couldn't recall what pizza was. Had he heard of it before? Wasn't it . . . a kind of food? "Well, I'm gonna go out and pick one up," Sonic continued. "No point in usin' that damn phone; it's probably busted." He didn't know if that was true or not, but he didn't care to find out. "I don't think I'm gonna leave ya here. But I don't know what'll happen if I take you out in public . . . Ah, hell with it. If the police give us any trouble, I'll explain everything. You ain't gonna cause any trouble, are ya?"

Ashura shook his head. "I'll be good." Sonic was tempted to smile by his brother's childishness. He had to admit: the guy was cute in his own way. "All right, then; let's go." Sonic sprinted back out to the kitchen again, and returned a second later with a shining set of keys clutched in one hand and a small leather wallet in the other.

"Okay, listen up," he said as he and Ashura exited the penthouse. "Just stay close ta me, don't mess around, don't do _anything_ unless I tell ya. Let _me_ do all the talking, okay?"

"All right," Ashura whispered, keeping his eyes on the floor. "But hey, man, don't act scared," Sonic said. "Look up. Look interested. People'll think you're weird if you act all scared and nervous like that."

Well, this was easy enough. Ashura did it all the time when he was little. He raised his head and put on the Happy Face: his personal mask. It only failed to fool those who knew him well.

In the lobby, Sonic and Ashura only had to deal with a young couple and their child, coming in from the deluge. Ashura remained stiff and silent while Sonic reassured the humans that he posed no threat, and that the police were wasting their time looking for him. The conversation was short, and the parents quickly followed their young son into the elevator as the hedgehogs moved on.

Outside, Ashura allowed his muscles to relax a bit. "Ya did good, Ashura," Sonic said. "See; all humans ain't so scary. Try sayin' 'hi' next time though, okay?"

"You told me not to talk," Ashura murmured, trying to keep his eyes off the ground. "Well, I toldja you can now," Sonic replied, and couldn't help thinking about how much beating it had taken to get Ashura this obedient.

The hedgehogs rounded the corner of the building to the parking lot, and headed for a miniature blue Corvette convertible. Sonic pointed a tiny black box on his keychain at it, and the car beeped twice. Without thinking, Sonic quickly slid into it, leaving Ashura alone on the outside to figure this contraption out.

Ashura wandered over to the passenger's side of the car, bent over slightly and peered into it. He'd seen little toy cars before, but never the real thing. He'd never imagined he would get to ride in a real car.

He didn't imagine he'd be able to get into it, either.

"The handle!" Sonic directed him, pointing at the door. "Pull that handle!" Ashura's eyes drifted down to the handle, recessed into the door. He slipped his fingers behind it and pulled. Instantly the door swung open, revealing the tiny interior of the vehicle. Ashura's stomach immediately clenched at the sight of the small space, and he took a step back. "Get _in,_ doofus," Sonic urged impatiently. Ashura did as he was told, having to hunch forward so that his head wouldn't bump the roof, and pull his legs in close to the seat so that they'd fit. Sonic chuckled. "It's specially built for us little furries, but I guess you're an exception. Put the seat back."

"How?"

"Ah, God, never mind. I'll do it for ya when we get to Papa John's. Can ya buckle your seatbelt, or do I have to do that too?" Ashura stared blankly at his brother, feeling incredibly stupid. Sonic growled softly, reached over him, and fastened his seatbelt. "There. Don't bust it, okay?"

Ashura tensed in his seat. The belt was a restraint; it held him firmly in place. Sonic could see his nervousness. "Yeah, it's kinda tight, but it's not meant for a big guy like you. And trust me, it's only for your protection. Ya might get hurt without it."

A few seconds later, the car was actually moving by itself. Well, not quite: Sonic was driving it. Ashura glanced up once to make sure that there was no giant child's hand propelling the car. A flash of lightning quickly fixed his eyes on his lap.

As he drove, Sonic kept shooting glances at Ashura from the corner of his eye. His sympathy was deepening; there was a bit of frustration left, directed towards Ashura's slowness, but no disgust or anger. Hell, Ashura couldn't help the way he was. He wasn't even _born_ retarded. If people had only accepted him and loved him, he would be a normal young man.

But no. His own family had abused and abandoned him, leaving a fragile, frightened eight-year-old inside an oversized nineteen-year-old shell. Sonic pressed his foot harder on the accelerator, his frustration boiling over, and the little car gave a sudden jump forward. Ashura was pressed back against his seat, and he looked curiously at Sonic. "Be careful."

"Huh?"

"D-don't go too fast."

"Sorry." Sonic eased his foot off the gas pedal. "Hey Ash . . ."

"Yes?"

Sonic took a deep breath. "I . . . I'm really sorry for the way I treated you. You really didn't deserve it, and . . . I was being an asshole. Just wanted you to know I'm sorry. I won't treat'cha like that anymore."

Ashura broke into a warm smile. "Thank you, Sonic. I knew you were nice." Though he had been forgiven, Sonic was still frowning and upset. How anyone could be so sweet after enduring so much abuse was beyond him.

* * *

Akuma loved his new host body. He walked freely through Station Square, seeking an opportunity to wreak havoc. Most people were in a hurry to get out of the sudden storm, and said a brisk "hello" as they passed, not noticing his different fur colors. Others thought he was just some kid in a funky Tails suit.

Akuma strode down to an intersection near the center of the city. People dashed back and forth across the street, holding newspapers or briefcases over their heads to protect their perfectly styled hair from the rain, and vehicles swished past with their windshield wipers going at full speed. Some motorists had pulled over to wait out the bad weather, either in their vehicles or indoors, in one of the many shops, cafés and restaurants.

From Akuma's right, there came a blue Corvette convertible, anthro-sized. It paused at the red light, then crossed the intersection and turned right into the parking lot of a Papa John's pizza shop.

Akuma tracked it with his eyes, and a cruel smirk curled his lips. He knew to whom that car belonged, and he knew who was in it. He watched silently as the hedgehog called Sonic got out and entered the pizza shop. The other passenger did not follow him.

Akuma waited for the crossing signal to change, and moved steadily across the intersection. He was now on the sidewalk bordering the small parking lot. From here, he could easily see into the blue sports car. Sitting in the passenger's seat was a hedgehog that looked too big for the car.

_Let's get started._ Akuma raised his face to the thunderheads above, flung out his arms, and bellowed, _"Come on down!"_

For a split second, the entire sky seemed to light up. Then, a fat, purple bolt of lightning came shooting down from the heavens and slammed into the center of the intersection. The impact was equivalent to a small bomb going off. The automobiles nearest the strike were immediately reduced to black, smoking hunks of twisted, half-melted metal, some of which were on fire. Car parts and chunks of asphalt were blasted into windows, windshields, and pedestrians. Automobiles headed for the intersection stopped in a hurry and either skidded into each other or ran up on the sidewalk.

Akuma half-turned and extended his arm swiftly. The resulting concussive blast threw a few cars across the street at a stunning speed. Other vehicles and a corner shop were demolished as a result, and pedestrians were crushed. Screams broke out here and there. A geyser from a broken fire hydrant spewed into the air. Akuma now turned to the Papa John's shop, and grinned. Time to hit the Chosen One where it hurt the most.

Akuma merely focused on the small building, and it burst into flames.

* * *

Ashura couldn't quite register what was going on outside the safe little interior of Sonic's car. There was a mangled mess in the middle of the street, water gushing in the air, and general chaos. Humans ran about, screaming. A few were crawling on the ground. Some people were on fire. Others were lying on the sidewalk or in the street, not moving at all.

Then Ashura heard a muted explosion, even closer to him. He snapped his head around and saw that the pizza shop was on fire.

Sonic was in there.

_"Sonic,"_ Ashura tried to yell, but his voice emerged as a hoarse whisper. He immediately found the door handle and popped it open, but when he tried to leap out of the car, the seatbelt drew tight around his chest and snapped him back. He struggled frantically to remember how Sonic has fastened it. Maybe it came off the same way it went on.

Ashura found the silver buckle by his left thigh and began to fumble with it, trying to yank the belt loose from it. It was only by dumb luck that he pressed the release button, and the belt zipped off of him so fast that he actually tumbled out of the car.

But he didn't have time to feel stupid. He needed to help Sonic.

The heat emanating from the burning pizza shop was almost overwhelming. It blasted Ashura in waves, making his eyes water, his lungs burn and his body break out in sweat. He raised both arms to cover his face and surged forward to the front doors, whose metal frames had already begun to twist and melt out of shape from the heat. The glass in them had blown out, and Ashura tried to avoid the shards lying on the ground as he ventured closer to the doorway to what looked like Hell.

Almost immediately, a small black figure burst out through the burning doors. Like Ashura, its arms were up over its face. It ran right into him, and they both fell to the ground.

_"Aaaaaaah! AaaaAsh!"_ the scorched creature shrieked, and Ashura was relieved to hear his brother's voice. Quickly he beat out the few tiny licks of flame clinging to Sonic's blackened fur. "You're all right!" he gasped, feeling a desperate need to hug him.

Sonic was on his feet in an instant. Despite being sooty and missing small patches of fur in a few places, he was just fine. "What can I say; I'm engaged to Lady Luck," Sonic replied, shaking his head like a wet dog.

The commotion across the street caught his eye. It took a second for him to absorb the scene, and then he clenched his fist and murmured, "Only that monster Akuma could do this."

Ashura suddenly bolted to the mangled vehicles, his benevolence surging. He could hear people screaming and sobbing. They were hurt. They needed help. And it was his job now to protect everyone.

"No, Ashura!" Sonic cried, chasing him and grabbing his wrist. "We can't go in there. I mean, look at it! Anyone who's caught in that mess won't live. It would be useless, and we would risk our own lives. I dunno about you, but I think we need to stay alive a little longer." Ashura tried to jerk away from him, but Sonic wouldn't let him go. "Didn't you hear a word I just said!" Ashura gave him a pained look. "But"

A deafening explosion, followed by a fresh blast of heat, threw the two hedgehogs backwards. They watched in disbelief as a swelling ball of fire rose high into the air, mingling with the geyser from the fire hydrant and creating plumes of vapor. It was like a miniature atomic explosion. "II told you," Sonic said, his voice trembling. Even more people began running about, screaming and covered in fire. "Oh shit!" Sonic cried, running to help in whatever way he could. Ashura lagged behind now. _This is crazy,_ he thought, feeling his fur singe from the combined heat of the burning pizza shop and the gas explosion. Sweat, smoke and humidity from the vapor smothered him, until he finally had to run away from the destructive scene. As he went, he heard another smaller explosion, and in his peripheral vision saw Sonic's Corvette turn into another miniature fireball. He couldn't stifle a scream this time.

_Here I go; running away again. I'm no Chosen One. I'm just a chicken._

He made it half a block and collapsed on his hands and knees, feeling sick. Sonic joined him a few seconds later. "Where you goin'!" he cried. "Don't you wanna help them too? I need you! We've gotta find Tails and"

"He's not Tails anymore," Ashura said. "I know," Sonic grumbled. "Where's that rod of yours?" Ashura's hand automatically went to his side. "Itit's not there. I must have left it at your house."

"So let's get it!" Sonic said, and took off as if he had been stuck with a pin. Ashura rose shakily and struggled to keep up.


	7. Third Encounter

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Jules & Bernadette Hedgehog are © Archie / Ashura the Hedgehog, Akuma & Sakana Uni are © me

**7: Third Encounter**

Sonic ran so fast that he nearly shot across the next intersection when he wanted to turn. He jammed his heels into the pavement, leaving long skidmarks, and stopped right on the edge of the curb. He turned while still on his heels, and continued running. He wasn't trying to get away from the terrible accident downtown; of course not! He wanted to help those people more than anything. He was running in case Akuma was around. He was worried. Maybe on the verge of fear. _We just gotta get that Enjeru Rod,_ he told himself. _Can't do nothin' 'til we have that. Can't fight Akuma without it._

He couldn't be afraid. Not him. It took a _lot_ to get him worked up.

Like, say, the Devil coming to Earth.

"Sonic!" Ashura yelled, many yards back. "Slow down! I'm not as fast as you!" Sonic slowed reluctantly until Ashura wasn't so far behind. The apartment building was visible now, maybe two or more blocks away. Sonic was tempted to speed up again, but suddenly tripped over his own feet and fell on his face.

Ashura came up behind him a second later. "What happened?" he asked. Sonic pointed upward. Ashura looked and saw Akuma suspended in the air high above, and descending rapidly. His arms were folded over his chest, his mouth twisted into a cold smirk, and his eyes looked like blazing ice.

A couple seconds later, Akuma landed lightly on the sidewalk, smirking. "Hi, Sonic," he said, in Tails's voice. "Sorry I'm late."

"You aren't Tails!" Sonic snapped. "Thankfully," Akuma said in his normal voice, his mouth wrinkling with distaste. "That boy was _pathetic."_

"Why you" Sonic started forward, but Ashura grabbed his arm. "Don't, Sonic. He will hurt you."

"I've been hurt before," Sonic growled, trying to shrug him off. "I have a plan!" Ashura said desperately. He lowered his voice. "You go and get my rod, while I keep Akuma busy."

". . . All right," Sonic conceded nervously.

Both hedgehogs charged at Akuma, but Sonic jumped over him at the last second, while Ashura tackled him. Akuma kicked Ashura off as soon as they hit the ground. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled.

"I'm going to make you sorry for everyone you've hurt today," Ashura said as he stood up and brushed himself off. Akuma folded his arms across his chest again and laughed. "Oh, do you think you can? I'm not even getting warmed up yet."

"_I_ should be the one laughing," Ashura said. "You'll never know what hit you." Akuma started to answer, but looked over his shoulder suddenly. "Why has Sonic run away? Is he scared?" he sneered. Ashura started to say no, but decided against it. He might make Akuma suspicious. "Of course he's scared! You threw him out a window!"

* * *

Sonic dashed into the apartment building and slid halfway across the lobby before stopping, once again leaving long gray streaks behind him. _I've gotta stop that before I ruin my shoes,_ he thought.

Usually Sonic would run up the stairs, but this time he took the elevator to rest. He pounded the button a dozen times, then leapt inside when the elevator arrived and pounded the eighth floor button a dozen more times. When the car finally got moving, he collapsed on his behind, gasping for breath. He was barely under control when the doors opened, and he was off again. "Where is it where is it where is it?" he muttered to himself as he burst into his penthouse. The Rod was lying on the floor next to the recliner. "Woo," he breathed as he snatched it up. "Okay. Hang on, Ashura. The cavalry is here."

* * *

"So how should I kill you?" Akuma said, stroking his chin. "I could blow you up . . . No, too fast. Tear you apart with my psychic abilities? Very painful, indeed, but still too fast. There's no fun in a quick death. Forget it; I will use my own two hands. Not too fast, and painful, I guarantee. I will make you suffer. I love that so."

"I know that," Ashura growled. "You make innocent people suffer, you monster."

"But it is fun," Akuma jeered. "Here, let me show you." In the blink of an eye, he was face-to-face with Ashura, and smacked him in the stomach with the palm of his hand. The impact was so powerful that it would seem that Akuma had been holding explosives in his hand. Ashura sailed backwards and hit a light pole, snapping it in half. He made a weak gasping sound, not having enough breath to yelp, and collapsed in a heap, his vision already graying. Then Akuma was next to him again, and kicked him in the face. Ashura skidded across the ground and struck a brick wall, cracking the window above him. Electric pain shot up his spine. "Please, Sonic, hurry," he whispered as one eye swelled shut.

"You weak bastard," Akuma snarled. "You're so pathetic I could vomit." He strode up to the fallen hedgehog and wrapped both of his tails tightly around Ashura's neck. "If I stood absolutely still and let you go all out on me, you wouldn't even leave a bruise, would you?" People across the street saw the one-sided fight, and began to shout at Akuma to have mercy on Ashura. "Shut the hell up!" Akuma snapped. A fireball appeared out of nowhere and incinerated the humans.

"Don't . . . hurt them," Ashura rasped, tugging at the tails around his neck. "You can do . . . whatever you want . . . with me . . . Just . . . don't hurt anyone else . . ."

"I don't take orders from a worm like you," Akuma growled, squeezing Ashura's neck so that he couldn't speak. Ashura's face twisted with pain, but he couldn't cry out. He couldn't breathe anymore. A random thought flashed through his head: _Don't hurt me, Daddy._

Sonic returned in time to see his brother pinned helplessly to the ground, not making much of an attempt to fight back. "_Ashura, no!_" he shouted, running to his aid. _Damn it, Ashura, if you ever fight in your life, fight now!_

Akuma took one look at the rod he held, and immediately released Ashura and jumped back, a slight look of alarm on his face. Sonic knelt down next to Ashura and lifted his head up. "Ash, talk to me."

Ashura cleared his throat and tried to smile. "You got the Rod," he whispered. "Thank you." He took the Rod from Sonic with a trembling hand, and pointed it at Akuma. "Watch where you aim that!" Akuma shouted. "It could get you into a heap of trouble."

"How do you get it to work?" Sonic whispered. "How would I know?" Ashura whispered back. "Try 'go, web'," Sonic suggested. Ashura gave him a clearly confused look.

While the two of them debated, Akuma extended his hand and created a wall of flame out of thin air. Then he sent it towards them. Bystanders screamed, and Sonic yelled, "_Look out!_" Ashura froze with panic, but it turned out he didn't have to do a thing. The crystal orb on the end of the Rod began to glow blue, and the Rod created a translucent "forcefield" around the two hedgehogs. The boys didn't even feel the heat from the flames as they rushed past. "Oh my God," Sonic said almost a hundred times. Ashura had to concentrate so his shaking arm wouldn't cause him to drop the Rod.

Then the fire vanished suddenly, and Akuma stared in disbelief. "Again," he hissed. "The accursed Enjeru Rod. Possessed by this lower-than-dirt creature!"

"I can only imagine how that makes you feel, friend," Sonic sneered, helping Ashura to his feet. "Now are ya ready for a fair fight?"

Akuma clenched his fists and teeth. He knew that in his current form, one blast from the Enjeru Rod would put him out of commission for a very long time. Perhaps during that time, his enemies would be able to conspire against him, and his defeat would be certain. "I will return," he growled. "Count on it." And just like that, he was gone.

In a flash, terrified and excited people surrounded Sonic and Ashura. They hit the two with a barrage of questions, and begged them to do something about Akuma. One man pointed to Ashura and said, "Hey Sonic, you should get him some medical attention. He's hurt bad!"

"I will take care of him," someone else spoke up. Sonic looked over his shoulder, and saw Sakana Uni coming through the crowd. "I am a nurse; let me take him." She leaned over and put one arm around Ashura's shoulders. "You come too," she whispered to Sonic, then asked Ashura more loudly, "Are you able to walk?"

"Yes," Ashura said weakly. Sakana straightened up, and announced to the crowd, "As all of you can see, it isn't safe out here. Go home, right now." The crowd gradually dispersed, and Sakana slowly led Ashura up the sidewalk. "How did he manage to injure you so badly? Didn't you have the Rod?"

"I left it in Sonic's house when we first came out," Ashura replied softly. Tears were streaming down his face. "I'm very sorry. I . . . I could have killed him right then."

"No, Ashura, you couldn't have," Sakana said gently. "Only when he reaches his final stage can you defeat him finally. But you must stop putting yourself down all the time."

"I'm sorry," Ashura said. Sakana shook her head sadly.

The three of them made their way slowly but steadily back to Sonic's penthouse. Once inside, Sakana wasted no time in laying Ashura down on the couch and creating the healing golden veil around him. "Poor creature," she said repeatedly, then began whispering the incantations that would heal Ashura. Sonic sat down on his recliner, staring miserably at his big brother. _He won't fuckin' fight. He can't._

Sakana remained still, whispering over Ashura for six minutes at best, then stopped suddenly. The veil faded quickly. "What?" Sonic asked, his fur raising. "Is there something wrong?"

"I have healed his injuries, but he may still suffer pain for a few more weeks." Sakana said, shaking her head sadly. "I wonder if he will be able to put up with what he will go through. He is just too meek and naïve for his age. Sonic, you must support him. I know _he_ is your older brother, but it is up to _you_ to be the role model. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Sonic replied quietly. He brooded for a moment, then asked, "You popular around here or what?"

"What do you mean?" Sakana asked. Sonic shrugged. "The way you look, an' no one noticed. I mean, you're kinda tall for a woman, and . . . ya got _spikes_ growin' out yer back . . ."

Sakana smiled. "Remember I told you about my psychic powers? I'm able to create the illusion of being a human. The people did not see me as I am."

Sonic almost laughed. "Bet a lotta women wish they were you."

"Do you need restoration?" Sakana asked him. Sonic didn't get what she was talking about at first. "Oh! Nah, I'm good. Just a little dirty." Sakana nodded, then said, "Please show me to your bedroom. I want to make Ashura comfortable."

"Yeah, no prob." Sonic waited until Sakana had gathered the sleeping Ashura into her arms, then led the woman out of the living room, down the short hallway, and into his bedroom. "Just lay 'im down right there."

Sakana paused by Sonic's bed, her head lowered so that it looked like she was kissing Ashura between his ears. She seemed reluctant to put him down, but when Sonic pulled the blanket back, she finally let Ashura go, and tucked him in. Her eyes remained fixed on him, as if she expected him to wake up at any second. "You can sit down if you want," Sonic said, feeling as if the mood was becoming too quiet. It made him uncomfortable. Without looking at him, Sakana seated herself carefully on the edge of his bed.

Meanwhile, Ashura was having a flashback dream.

* * *

_"Ashura, Ashura! Guess what!" _

_Ashura, who had been sneaking up on a non-anthro squirrel in the grass, looked up and saw Sonic bouncing towards him. "Wh-what, S-Sonic?"_

_"I know how to make cookies! My friend just learned, and now he taught me! I'm gonna make some sugar cookies for Mommy and Daddy. Wanna help?"_

_"S-s-sure!" Ashura said, jumping up and following his little brother into the house._

_ "Ok-kay, what d-do w-we n-n-need?" Ashura asked in the kitchen. "Um . . . oh my gosh, I forget already!" Sonic cried, looking perplexed. "Oh well. It can't be that hard. What do you know that goes into cookies?"_

_"E-eggs a-and milk and . . . f-flour," Ashura said. "A-and s-sugar. S-some other s-stuff. Th-that's all I r-re-remember."_

_"Well, can you get the flour and sugar?"_

_"Y-yeah," Ashura said, pushing a stool over to the counter, "a-and you g-get the e-eggs and m-milk." He climbed up onto the stool, stood on tiptoe and opened the cabinet where the bags of flour and sugar were. He went for the sugar first, which was the closest to him. But somehow, when he grabbed it, the bag tipped right over. Ashura let out a shriek as he and a wave of sugar hit the kitchen floor._

_ "Ashura!" Sonic cried, fanning the dusty air in front of his face. "Are you okay!" Ashura coughed a few times, then nodded. "B-boy, am I g-gonna be in t-t-rouble."_

_"Not if we clean it up, _fast,_" Sonic said. "You go outside and get clean quick, and I'll get the broom, 'kay?" Ashura dashed outside and shook himself like a dog. A white cloud rose off of his body, which made him sneeze. Then, to his horror, he spotted his mother and father not too far off. They had returned from the market already, and he and Sonic hadn't even begun to clean up the mess! Still trailing sugar dust, Ashura ran back into the house and cried, "S-Sonic! S-Sonic, M-mommy and D-Daddy are c-coming h-home!"_

_"Here, you take the dustpan, and I'll sweep it up," Sonic said hurriedly, grabbing the broom and dustpan out of the corner. With his unnatural speed, they had half the mess cleaned up by the time their parents walked through the door._

_ Jules froze as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. "Sonic? Ashura? What is this _mess?

_"We were going to make cookies for you and Mom," Sonic said quickly. "A-a-and I . . . sp-spilled the s-sugar," Ashura murmured softly. Jules set his jaw and said firmly, "Go to your rooms, both of you. You know you aren't allowed to use the kitchen until you're older."_

_"Sorry, Daddy," Sonic muttered, stalking down the hallway. Ashura began to follow him, but his father caught him by the arm. The boy began to turn, and received a hard slap on his face. "_You,_ most of all, should know better. What kind of a brother are you? You're supposed to be watching out for Sonic, and here you are letting him get into trouble! What the Hell is that!"_

_"I-I-I'm s-sorry," Ashura whispered. Jules thrust him back towards the broom. "You clean up the rest, then get to your room. Do you understand me?" Ashura nodded quickly, trying not to cry. His father stormed out of the kitchen, and his mother followed, not looking at Ashura. She rarely paid attention to him. _

_With a red mark burning on his face, Ashura silently swept up the rest of the sugar.

* * *

_

Ashura expected to be sitting in his old bed when he woke up, but instead, he was on a much softer and cleaner bed, in a strange room. He felt a pair of hands resting on his head and sat up quickly. But it was only Sakana touching him. She seemed startled at first, then said, "You have woken up finally."

"Yes," Ashura said. "Where is Sonic?"

"Right here, bro," Sonic said from the foot of the bed, raising his hand. "How ya doin'?"

"I . . . I guess I'm okay," Ashura murmured. "What about you?"

"Same here. Not a mark on me."

"Good," replied Ashura, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. To Sakana, he said timidly, "Why were you touching my head?"

"I was reading your thoughts," Sakana explained. "I happened to see your dream. Your parents were very beastly towards you, weren't they?"

"No!" Ashura said quickly. "Don't talk that way about my parents."

"I'm sorry," Sakana said. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's all right," Ashura whispered.

Sonic frowned. It was about time he said something to help cheer his brother up. "Ashura, you still act like you'll be punished no matter what you do. You just gotta relax. All the people that hurt you; you'll probably never see them again. Live your own life now, man."

"I'm sorry," Ashura murmured. "And quit sayin' 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' all the time," Sonic ordered. "You got nothin' to be sorry about."

"You haven't even done anything wrong," Sakana added. _But I did,_ Ashura thought. _I did it a long time ago. No one knows. _I_ can't even remember._


	8. Reflection

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog & Sakana Uni are © me

**8: Reflection**

"Whoooo's hungry?"

Sonic strode into the bedroom as if he had just scored some great victory, carrying three steaming sandwiches on a plate. "The lunch plan totally bombed today, so I fixed up some grilled cheese. I'm no Emeril, but I _can_ cook." He sat the plate in the middle of his bed and promptly picked up a sandwich.

Sakana eyed the food curiously. "Cheese," she murmured. "I have heard that word before. My people have studied the society of Land-Dwellers. Is it good, Sonic?"

Sonic was finding it hard to believe that he'd met someone who didn't know what cheese was. "What? You guys don't farm sea cows?"

Sakana rolled her eyes and gingerly selected one of the hot sandwiches. "It smells odd."

"Yeah, well, fish smells worse. Just go on and eat it."

Sakana took a tiny bite from a corner of the grilled cheese. "This . . . this bread is burnt."

"It's supposed ta be," Sonic grumbled. "Do ya like it or not?"

". . . I will not say that I _don't_ like it, since it is so new to me," Sakana replied. "Perhaps I will get used to it."

Ashura sat at the head of the bed, hugging his knees tightly against his chest. As he stared at the food, his stomach cramped with hunger. But he couldn't bring himself to eat. He felt too . . . too nervous, too anxious. If he ate, he might not be able to swallow, or he might throw up. Something would most certainly go wrong.

"There's a sandwich for ya, bro," Sonic said around a mouthful of bread and cheese. "Aint'cha gonna eat?"

"I . . ." Ashura began, and then an engraved command leapt out of his mind: _Be polite._ If Sonic had gone through the trouble of making food for him, the least he could do was eat it. He took the last sandwich, murmured, "Thank you," and began to nibble away at it.

Many minutes after Sonic and Sakana had finished their lunch, Ashura was only a little more than halfway done. Sakana frowned at him and said, "Do not force yourself, Ashura. If you're not hungry, do not eat." Ashura's eyes darted apprehensively to Sonic, but his brother showed no sign of disapproval. Slowly he placed the half-eaten sandwich back on the plate, and Sonic picked it up to return to the kitchen.

"Are you feeling all right, Ashura?" Sakana asked. Her voice startled the big hedgehog, as if he hadn't been aware of her presence. He flinched sharply, and when he spoke, his voice sounded weak and shaky. "I . . . I guess so. But . . . I'm still scared. I hurt so much. When . . . When Akuma . . ." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I . . . I don't want to do this. I want to go back to the island . . . By myself . . ."

"It's all right," Sakana said. "You didn't stand a chance without the Rod. It may be better next time. You don't even know how to fight. It is not your fault."

"I know," Ashura whispered as he began to shake. Sakana gazed piteously at him, then said, "Ashura, look at me."

"What?" Ashura asked softly, glancing up at her. She placed her hands on each side of his face, and got a dreamy look in her eyes. "WhaWhat are you doing?" he gasped. "Shh," she murmured. "Just relax . . ."

And then Ashura felt an overwhelming calm spread throughout his body. His muscles loosened up, and his mind cleared. His eyes rolled upwards slightly. "Don't make me sleep," he whispered. "I-I'll have nightmares . . ."

"You won't sleep. I'm just helping you relax. There will be no nightmares," Sakana told him. Ashura exhaled softly and slumped onto his right side. Sakana leaned over him, looking down into his face. Indeed, he was not asleep; his eyes were still opened slightly, shining faintly in the soft light of the bedside lamp. Sakana gently pushed him up so that his head rested on the pillow, and continued to gaze at him, as a mother gazes at her child.

"Hey," Sonic spoke up suddenly. He had walked silently into the doorway, and when Sakana looked over her shoulder, she saw he had an amused look on his face. "He conked out again, huh?" Sonic said, folding his arms across his chest. His expression changed from amused to sly. "I just wanted him to rest," Sakana said. "Don't worry; I haven't hurt him. I would never do that."

"I can see not," Sonic murmured. "But what I _can_ see is chemistry."

"Chemistry?"

"Aw, you know what I mean. I saw that look on your face." Sonic pressed his index fingers together, and raised his eyebrows. Sakana rolled her eyes. "It's nothing like that. Besides, he deserves a little . . . How do you put it? . . . TLC."

"Yeah. Hey, ya hear that?" Sonic cupped a hand around one ear. "Are those . . . wedding bells?"

"Oh, Sonic, stop that," Sakana snapped. She could feel her cheeks growing hot. "Better watch out, Sakana," Sonic said. "The shy ones are usually the dirtiest."

"Sonic the Hedgehog, that's quite enough," Sakana barked. "Touchy, touchy," Sonic muttered. "I'll just sit here and watch my fur grow."

"Good for you," Sakana said under her breath, turning her attention back to Ashura. The meek hedgehog's eyes were darting back and forth, and twitching slightly, as he recalled another not-so-painful memory.

* * *

_Down in the mud he went. It wasn't the first time it had happened, and certainly not the last, but Ashura would never get used to the feeling of cold muck on his face at least once a week. Tentatively he opened his eyes, and saw the feet of several young hedgehogs standing around him. But he didn't dare look up at the bullies. If they saw his fear, they would surely torture him worse._

_ "Hey, why don't you watch where you're walking?" one of them demanded. Ashura recognized the voice. It was Nate, his cruelest enemy. Trying to keep himself from stuttering, but losing the battle as usual, Ashura said, "Th-th-there's a mis-mistake. It-it's the middle of the d-day, a-and there's n-no way you couldcould have missed me. Y-you sh-shouldn't have hit me."_

_"Why would we waste our time running into _you?_" Nate snapped. "_You_ were in _our_ way!" _

_"I-I still think"_

_ Nate suddenly grabbed Ashura by his right ear and jerked him up onto his feet. Two years ago, his friend Alex had broken that same ear by yanking on it. The ear now flopped over like that of a ragged stray mutt's. Pulling it straight so roughly tore a bit of cartilage, once more setting the ear aflame with pain. Ashura screamed, but his bully ignored him. "Oh, man, Ashura, when will you learn?" he sighed, shaking his head. "Everyone tries to tell you_you're_ never right. So why do you always try to argue?"_

_"I-I-I c-c-can b-be r-r-r-right s-_s-sometimes,_" Ashura replied, his voice weak and shaky. The sharp, burning pain from his injured ear was beginning to spread across his head. He was afraid he might faint if Nate didn't let go soon. _

_Suddenly, Nate threw him down in the mud puddle again, but this time snatched his knapsack off. "What've we got in here?" he said. "N-no, p-please, d-don't mess with th-that!" Ashura cried. "There's v-very imp-portant"_

_"Oh, look," Nate interrupted. "An apple." He pulled the crisp, red fruit out of the front pocket on the knapsack. "B-But that's m-my s-snack!" Ashura gasped. "Don't worry," Nate muttered. "I wouldn't eat something _you _touched." He threw the apple at Ashura, hitting him on his sore head, then continued to dig through his knapsack. "Hey, are these . . . School papers? What're ya doing with _school_ papers? It's _summer,_ you idiot!"_

_"I-I like to s-study over the susummer," Ashura replied quietly. "I-it really helps th-the next year. Youyou should"_

_"What a freak," Nate muttered, pulling the papers out of the knapsack. "Here, Ash. I think your little papers wanna take a mud bath just like you."_

"No!"_ Ashura cried. He jumped up and grabbed for his papers, but Nate held them out of reach, grinning coldly._

_ "Hey!" someone shouted. This time, it was a girl's voice. Ashura turned and saw a young female hedgehog running towards him. He recognized her immediately as Lauren Susanna Antares, the prettiest hedgehog in the village under eight, and nearly passed out. Was _she_ coming to make fun of him, too?_

_ Lauren stopped right in front of Nate and snapped, "You give those papers back to him, now!"_

_"What?" Ashura and Nate gasped in unison. "You heard me," Lauren growled. "Give 'em back."_

_"Give me one good reason," Nate said. "All right," Lauren replied. "He said that he studies all summer so he has an easier time in school. So that means that he'll be smarter than you. Or maybe he already is."_

_"HA!" Nate laughed. "No way! Not this moron!"_

_"Are ya scared he'll be smarter than you?"_

_"Heck no!"_

_"Put the papers _down!

___ Okay, okay," Nate said, and dropped the school papers into the mud. "There. They're down."_ _____ "You _creep!_" Lauren screeched, and kicked Nate in the shins with all her strength. Nate cried out, and started to swing at her. "Gonna hit a girl?" Lauren snapped. "You do it and my daddy'll kick your arse!" _ ____

_____Nate lowered his fist and muttered something obscene under his breath. Then, more loudly, he addressed his friends: "Come on, guys. We're gonna waste the day." He and the other bullies trotted off in search of some other mischief._

_____ "Oh, what a bunch of morons," Lauren snarled. "Hey, are you all right?" Ashura was whimpering and rocking himself, gently clutching the broken ear. "I-it hurts," he squeaked._

____

_____What happened next startled Ashura so much that he momentarily forgot his pain. Lauren actually got down _in _the mud on her knees, spoiling her pretty pale orange skirt, and started picking up Ashura's ruined school papers. Ashura was stunned. Why in the world would this lovely little girl want to help _him? _"Here you go," Lauren said, handing him the wet clump of papers. "I'm afraid they're not much good anymore, though."_

____

_____"I've . . . got . . . p-plenty more . . . at my house," Ashura said slowly. It was the only way he could keep from stuttering. "Thuh . . . Thank you."_

____

_____"No problem," Lauren said as she stood up. "I don't mind getting dirty once in a while. My parents always have to keep everything so clean."_

____

_____"Yeah?" Ashura saidthen began to gag as some of the vile mud got into his mouth. Lauren wrinkled her brow and brushed some of it off his face. Ashura's heart skipped a beat. No one had ever touched his face before other than to punch or slap him. "That had to taste bad. Is that better?" Lauren asked. "M-m-much," Ashura said, picking his knapsack up. He felt sick to his stomach, but not because of the mud. "Are you going to be all right?" Lauren asked. "Want me to walk you home so they won't pick on you?"_

____

_____"N-No, thank you," Ashura said quickly. "But thanks for your help. I-I really have to go now."_

____

_____"Lauren!" someone cried. Both of the little hedgehogs looked up and saw Sylvia, Lauren's older sister, jogging up to them. "Oh, Lauren, for crying out loud, look at you! You're covered in mud. And what are you doing with _him?_" She picked up Lauren, muttered to Ashura, "Get lost," and walked away briskly. As she went, Lauren peeked over her shoulder and waved to Ashura. He waved back, a dreamy look on his face.

* * *

_

When Sakana had been reading Ashura's thoughts, and looking into his past memories, she had found that Lauren, besides Sonic, was the only thing that had brought true happiness into his miserable life. When she calmed Ashura's mind, she also controlled it to only show images of Lauren. She knew that if she could make him a little happier, it might have a better effect on his attitude. Maybe he wouldn't be so shy and childish, and maybe he would be more able to rise and meet his challenge.

Presently, the Uni woman noticed a rather irritating droning noise that was accompanied by vibration. She tilted her head and glanced towards the bedroom window, whose curtains were drawn. "Sonic? What is that noise?"

"Hm?" replied Sonic, who had been lounging in the doorway the entire time. "Oh, great . . ." He retreated to the living room. A few seconds later, he called out, "We've got company!"

"Who is it?"

"The media."

Sakana didn't know what "media" was, but Sonic's tone suggested it was nothing good. The blue hedgehog came jogging back to his room. "Man, they got cameras, news choppers, spotlights, everything but the kitchen sink."

"Why would they need that?" Sakana asked, completely ignorant of the saying. Sonic shook his head. "They don't. But pretty soon, they're"

"Mr. Sonic?" came a tinny, slightly muffled voice from the living room. The buzzer. Sonic rolled his eyes. "Be right back."

He strode out to the door and pressed the speaker button on the buzzer. "Yeah?"

People from _DreamNews_ and the _SS Daily_ are down here. They'd like to talk to ya," replied the desk clerk. "Should I send 'em up?"

Sonic paused, thinking hard. He couldn't keep the impending calamity a secret from the public forever . . . But he needed some time to gather his thoughts. He had to choose his words carefully, lest he ignite panic.

Or maybe he should just tell it to them straight. He hated beating around the bush.

But either way, he needed a break.

"I need some time," Sonic finally answered the desk clerk. "Tell 'em to come back tomorrow. I'll be ready to talk then. I've had a bad day, ya know."

"Yes, sir." And the speaker clicked off.

Sonic leaned against the wall and pressed one hand over his face, waiting for the hum of the helicopter outside to fade. When it did, he headed slowly back to his bedroom. Sakana didn't notice his entry; she was murmuring something to Ashura. "What's up?" Sonic asked.

When Sakana looked at him, her face was anxious. "Sonic, I believe it's too hectic up here for Ashura. And I must admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed myself. May we go to my home?"

"Back to the cave?"

"No no. I have a city."

"And where would that be? _Undah da sea?"_ Sonic asked, doing his best impression of Sebastian the Crab. Sakana smiled a bit and nodded. "Where do you think?"

"Uh, sorry, but I'm not really comfortable down there," Sonic replied. "You know . . . I don't really like water. Living under it? Not happenin'."

"You must go, either way. My mother wishes to see the Chosen One. I do not wish to disappoint her." Sakana's smile turned wry. "She is the queen."

"Well! Shoulda told me I was in the presence of royalty!" Sonic gave a sweeping bow. "Forgive me, your Highness."

Sakana chuckled. "Thank you, Sonic, but that is not how we bow in my culture. No matter. I suppose we can stay here a bit longer. It might be a good idea, in case Akuma decides to return. What say I take you both down after dusk?"

Sonic shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Ashura smiled dreamily. "She lives in an ocean palace . . ." he murmured. "Queens and . . . princesses . . . Lots of pretty things . . . The fishies . . ."

"You doped him or what?" Sonic muttered. "He's just tired," said Sakana.

* * *

**A/N:** OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS "QUICKEDIT" THING! (humps leg)

Well, in my opinion, I think this chapter kinda sucked. I hate fillers with a passion, which makes it even harder to write an action-based story. But, at least ya got a look into Ashie's past! Rewriting this story is going really slow, but itis going. Expect chapter 9 . . . sometime within the next 5 years XD


	9. City of the Uni

-----------

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog & the Uni are © me

-----------

**9: City of the Uni**

Dusk had come to Station Square, and Sonic and Ashura now found themselves back inside Sakana's cave.

The woman knelt in the center of the room and began vigorously sweeping sand out of her way, causing it to rise in clouds around her. Sonic's face wrinkled and he took a step back, while Ashura, clutching the Enjeru Rod in one hand, stood dumbly and rubbed at his eyes.

Now, in the floor, a barely noticeable circular outline was made visible. "Trapdoor?" Sonic asked. Sakana nodded. Then she pressed the palms of her hands against the ground inside the circle, and waited a few seconds. A glittering purple light shone out from under her spread fingers. Sonic gasped a little. Ashura stared in amazement, his mouth hanging half open. When Sakana stood up, the circular stone panel stuck to her hands and lifted up easily, revealing a dark hole in the cave floor. "Uh . . . Women and children first?" Sonic mumbled.

"Very well, Sonic," Sakana said, tossing the stone aside, "but you must go next. You are, after all, a child."

"No I am _not!_" Sonic cried. "I'm seventeen! That's not a child! That's almost an adult!" Sakana rolled her eyes and dove headfirst down the hole. "Sakana!" Ashura gasped.

Sonic took a step forward, hesitated, and glanced back at Ashura. "Well . . ." Ashura said softly, "you heard her. You're next." Grumbling under his breath, Sonic sat down, scooted over the edge of the hole and disappeared inside.

Ashura got on his hands and knees and peered over the edge of the hole. It was small, and dark. Small spaces were bad enough, but if they were _dark . . ._ "I . . . I have to be brave," Ashura said to himself. "Afraid of the dark, ha! There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm a grown-up!" But he was still rather cautious as he lowered himself into the hole. He felt nothing beneath him; no footholds, so he would just have to let go and trust that he wouldn't get hurt.

Ashura sank slowly for at least thirty feet after letting go of the edge of the hole. As he neared the end of the vertical tunnel, he could see a faint bluish light below him.

And before he knew it, he was out of the narrow tunnel. But he wasn't drifting anymore. He was _falling._ Falling through _air._

That's not right! There can't be air underwater!

But there was, and he fell through at least fifteen feet of it until he hit water again. He'd landed in a large pool, probably thirty or more feet across and twenty feet deep. Ashura flailed his arms and legs frantically to get to the surface again.

Once Ashura's head was clear of the water, he called out, "Guys? Where are---" And then he stopped with his mouth still open. The pool was in an enormous undersea cavern, in which the small city resided.

A main "road" through the city was discernible: a wide stone path dusted over with a bit of sand and lined with tall torches, whose stands were almost translucent, that gave off a sky blue glow.

The city was made up of little ten-by-ten huts, constructed from coral, driftwood and sea grasses, that appeared to have three or four rooms. There were a few larger buildings scattered here and there: three stories at the most, some reinforced with stone.

There were sea plants growing in the cavern called _giant tree coral:_ multicolored branches of coral that grew to staggering heights and often fanned out at their tops, resembling trees. These corals could have been passed off as a different sort of skyscraper.

The tallest structure in the city was quite far back in the cavern, at the very end of the city, but it still stood out from the shadows due to its size. It appeared to be a miniature castle; one hundred-twenty feet high or more. From what Ashura could see, it had three towers with multiple balconies on each, and a long staircase with two gates leading up to its open entrance.

_It's a real castle. Just like Sakana said. Princesses and kings and everything._

Ashura heard a soft _whoosh_ of water as something passed him. He jerked his head in time to catch a glimpse of several shadowy creatures darting towards the city. When they climbed out of the pool, Ashura was astonished to see that they were children, and they looked like Sakana.

_There's a whole city of Sakana creatures!_

"Ashura!" Sakana called cheerfully. "Come over here before a shark gets you!" That started Ashura swimming. He dog-paddled as rapidly as he could, so that he was out of breath by the time he reached the city's edge. Chuckling, Sakana helped him out of the pool. "I was kidding. I don't think any sharks can get in here."

"Hey, this is a big-ass cave," Sonic pointed out. "Ya never know. So what the heck is this; Atlantis?"

"No, Sonic," said Sakana. "This is my home; the City of the Uni." Instead of pronouncing it _oo-nee_, as she did her last name, she pronounced the city's name _oo-nai_. "That sounds plural," Sonic observed. "So this city is full of . . . um . . . can I ask what you are?"

"As my name states: we are the Uni. An ancient race of amphibious people, dating back to the dinosaurs."

"So, are you guys, like . . . half-human?" Sonic asked. "You look a lot like them."

"We are _echinoid,_ though I suppose we could be considered anthropomorphic as well."__

"Riiiight," Sonic said, through trying to make sense of this. Then he turned again and focused on the municipality before them.

Up close, Sonic and Ashura could now see the inhabitants of the city in the insufficient light. They all looked like relatives of Sakana. They wore loose garments: mostly dresses, kimonos or robes; had pale, slanted eyes, grayish skin, and spines growing out of their backs. "Incredible," Ashura murmured. "Hey, does anyone else know about this?" Sonic asked, looking up at Sakana. She shook her head slightly, and a bit of the liveliness disappeared from her face again. "To the rest of the world, we are a myth."

"Why is there air?" Ashura spoke up out of nowhere. Sonic glanced at him, then narrowed his eyes at Sakana. "Yeah. This isn't right. The water just _ended_ back in the tunnel."

"I will explain later; I promise. Follow me now. Mother wishes to meet with us."

Sonic and Ashura followed Sakana down the main path through the city, but their minds weren't on meeting her mother. They stared in wonder at the city and its inhabitants, and the other Uni stared back. Some of the children hid behind their parents, but most bravely ventured closer. Pretty soon, the hedgehogs had a small group of young Uni following them. They could hear the childrens' whispers, but not necessarily the words. The children were speaking an entirely different language. _Unese,_ Sonic quickly dubbed it.

The last child to speak was particularly loud, and sounded rather scornful. Apparently they weren't too keen on strangers. Sakana stopped all of a sudden and turned to face the little group. But her expression, instead of stern, was caring and a bit amused. She rattled off an Unese sentence to the children, and then, using telepathy, translated herself to the hedgehogs. _These are _hedgehogs_, little ones, and they're here on a _very_ important mission. Perhaps you can ask them questions later. Right now, I must take them to the Erus._

_"Wow," _the children breathed in unison, and Sonic had to chuckle.

"Valra, kodopuer," Sakana said, and continued walking. _"Valra, sam-Sakana!"_ the children chorused, and ran off.

Sakana was clearly leading her guests to the small castle at the center of the city. "This is where Mum lives?" Sonic asked. "Yes," Sakana replied. "It's the royal palace. Grand, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah. Way past cool."

"Now you must behave. I know the guards will grant us access, but the littlest thing upsets them. They are very diligent about their job."

Sakana walked up to the first pair of gates and stopped with her nose practically touching it. Sonic and Ashura stood quietly behind her, feeling very insignificant when the pair of tall male guards glanced at them. The men didn't notice them for too long though; they soon turned their attention to Sakana, and both dropped to one knee. "Damn," Sonic said under his breath. Sakana looked at the two men and said something Unese. The guards replied to her in the same language and stood immediately. The three of them then engaged in a short, indecipherable conversation; however, Sonic and Ashura were sure they heard Sakana say their names.

Then Sakana nodded towards Ashura and said a final word. The guards gasped and looked at him. He flinched and dropped his gaze, wondering what Sakana had said to make them react that way. The guards began babbling away in their native tongue, dropped their spears and collapsed in a kowtow. This time, however, they were bowing to Ashura. _"Damn,"_ Sonic repeated.

A few seconds later, the guard on the left jumped up and opened the gates, saying a word of approval. Sakana thanked the man with a smile and proceeded through the tall gates, Sonic and Ashura following obediently. Ashura, keeping his eyes nervously on the guards, accidentally stepped on his brother's heels.

"Um, Sakana, why did they bow to me?" the big hedgehog asked when they were out of earshot. "What were you saying to them?"

"First of all, since I am their princess, it was customary to bow down to me," Sakana said. "Then they asked who my guests were, and I told them your names, and that you were our guests of honor. And then I told them that you, Ashura, were the Savior."

"Oh," Ashura replied quietly. Never in all his life had he been respected, and now seeing strange people _bow_ to him was unsettling.

The threesome came to the next sets of gates, and the same scenario occurred. Finally, Sakana, Sonic and Ashura found themselves standing before a long, narrow, spacious hall, with statues of past "Erus" built into the pillars and lovely paintings and carvings on the walls. "Way past cool," Sonic murmured. Ashura said nothing as he took it all in.

At the end of the hall was a giant pair of doors, with two guards at post before them. But before Sakana even said anything, the guards nodded their heads and opened up the doors. Sakana said a single Unese word to them.

Sonic and Ashura peeked around her into the room they were entering. It was a wide, airy chamber, mostly white, with three balconies. The walls, pillars and even the ceiling were decorated with more carvings and paintings, and a lamp that had to be four feet across hung in the center of the ceiling. Several female Uni stood around, carrying platters, pottery and other miscellaneous items. And sitting in the center of the room, on a huge white chair with a red cushion, was the Erus.

She wore a floor-length, gold-trimmed white robe, with the same gold cross on the front as on Sakana's dress, and sheer silk sleeves that fastened shut at her wrists with silver bands. A green-jeweled earring dangled from each elongated ear, and a large pearl necklace with a peridot pendant rested around her throat. Her skin was almost pure white, her eyes golden, and her spines and hair were a silvery color. She was noticeably taller than Sakana even while seated. And she wore a crown made of coral on her head, with a single peridot stone set in the middle. The crown was decorated with a silk veil that hung down to her shoulders. Her expression was jaded; her eyes intense. Ashura felt his stomach flop nervously.

The woman suddenly rose from her seat, and all the servants milling about put down whatever they were holding and kowtowed. Sakana bent over at the waist in a slight bow. The Erus nodded her head, and then commanded in English, "Bring forth the Chosen One."

"That's you, buddy," Sonic whispered to Ashura. "I know," Ashura whispered back, but he didn't move. The huge, dour woman with her booming voice scared him. What if she found out how dumb he was? How chicken he was? She wasn't going to like him.

"Ashura," whispered Sakana, giving his arm a squeeze. He would have to talk to her mother; he had no choice. This was part of his job. He forced his feet to move, and stepped up next to Sakana. The Erus scrutinized him and said, "Closer." Ashura swallowed hard and walked right up to her.

The Erus reached out and placed her slender hand on his head, seeming to disregard the hedgehog's resulting flinch. Ashura watched as a flicker of comprehension sparked in her eyes, and he knew that in those few seconds she had read his mind.

"I am honored to meet you, Ashura the Hedgehog." She removed her hand from his head and held it out to him for a shake. Ashura hesitated, but finally grasped it, trying to overcome his nervousness with courtesy. "Thank you for coming," the giantess continued. "My name is Arisu Uni. I preside over this city, but my stature is nothing compared to yours."

"H-Hello," Ashura squeaked.

-----------

**A/N: **w00t, funky words! Now for a translation:

_echinoid _(English): of or like a sea urchin. Long story---Sakana was actually created by an estranged friend of mine, as a sea urchin. I then took "Fishy", as she was currently named, and developed her further (with permission!). And now you know why the Uni have spines! (and how Sakana got her name)

_valra _(Unese): goodbye.

_kodopuer _(Unese): children.

_sam- _(Unese): an honorary tag; like _san_ or ma'am.


	10. Like A King

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Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog & the Uni are © me

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**10: Like a King**

"Ashura," Arisu said, "I take it you understand your destiny? My daughter has explained it to you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ashura replied. "We are all sorry that you must do this," Arisu said. "We understand the danger. But this is also a great honor, both to you and your species. Mine as well." Ashura finally allowed himself to smile. Honor was something he'd like to have.

"May I have the Rod, please?" Arisu asked, though her strong voice made the inquiry sound more like a command. Ashura swallowed again and held his weapon out to her. She took it from him, wincing a bit as her hand closed around it.

"As you should know by now, the Enjeru Rod is the only way you can defeat Akuma. But be warned: while the Rod is your aid, it can also harm you."

"H-how?" Ashura asked softly. "Its power is beyond anyone's comprehension," Arisu said, "even mine. Now that the power has been awakened from your battle in the city, no one of normal stature---that is, anyone besides you, Sakana and myself---must touch it. Its power may kill them quickly. They simply cannot handle it."

"What?" Sonic yelped. Everyone in the room glanced at him, except Ashura. "I-I . . . I don't understand," said the older hedgehog. "Take it," Arisu told him. Ashura did as he was told, and gasped. A hot electric feeling shot up his arm, and the veins swelled briefly under his skin. "You will become used to that," Arisu said. "Since you are the Chosen One, you are naturally protected from too much of that energy. But do you see what I mean now?"

"Y-yes." Ashura rubbed his arm briskly.

"A power surge from the Enjeru Rod could kill you as well."

"P-power surge?"

"The final blow in the battle with Akuma usually requires a tremendous blast of energy from the Enjeru Rod. It might be more than even you can handle. Your body may be able to withstand it, but if it can't . . ."

"Pop," Sonic said under his breath. Ashura winced and lowered his head. "I . . . I . . . Okay."

"No, _not_ okay." All heads turned to Sonic again. "Why Ash? Why all this? Can't he just fire a beam, _ka-pow,_ at Akuma and be done with it? Why does it have to be so friggin' dangerous? Why's the one thing that's gotta save us kill us too?"

"Akuma is no ordinary foe," Sakana spoke up. "He is the most evil being in existence. We have to---"

"I _know_ that," Sonic snapped. "Look, maybe you all don't feel the way I do, because it isn't your only family going out there to risk his ass for the world. At first I wondered why _I_ had to be part of this, too. That was selfish. I _can't_ lose my brother! Can't you find someone else to do this?"

"No," Arisu said firmly. "No," Sonic snorted. "No? Why_ not?_ What determines the 'Chosen One'?"

"It is Ashura's destiny, and his alone, and you know it," the Erus said rather sharply. Ashura closed his eyes briefly, willing himself not to cry. _I'll do it; I'll do it. Why won't you stop fighting?_

"I'm his family," Sonic said. _"I_ can do it. I'm used to this Apocalypse stuff. _He_ isn't. I save the goddamn world every month. You couldn't find a better candidate."

"I can do it," Ashura whispered. "I can."

"You know what this is?" Sonic fumed on. "This isn't heroic or honorable. It's insane bullshit." He grabbed Ashura by the arm. "I'll take care of this my way. Let's go, Ash."

"Sonic," Arisu said. A blue aura formed around Sonic suddenly, and he began to hover a few feet off the floor. "Hey!" he cried. "What the hell?!"

"Sonic!" Ashura gasped, shrinking away from his levitating brother.

Arisu took a step towards Sonic. _Please don't hurt him, _Ashura thought frantically. _He didn't do anything bad. He was just trying to help._

Sonic turned to face Arisu, and if looks could kill . . . "Put me _down._"

"You are wrong, Sonic," Arisu said softly. "I _do_ feel what you are feeling." She placed her hand on his cheek. He caught his breath and gazed into her eyes. "I know loss. I have family at risk as well," said the Erus. "Sakana's job is to protect you, at all costs. She will lay down her life if she must. We are not sadists, Sonic. This is just how it is. All my people do is help." Arisu smiled a sort of condescending smile, and then let Sonic down. She turned and began to speak to the servants. "Make ready a room for the Chosen One and his brother."

"Ya, Erus," the servants said, and rushed past their queen and out of the room.

- - - - -

It was dinnertime. Sonic and Ashura had never seen such an enormous table. It had to be at least thirty feet long, and seven feet wide. There was enough food to feed an army---the army being the Erus and her two children, the servants and their families, and the royal guards. Arisu ordered two extra chairs, but not for Sonic and Ashura. They were for Sonic and herself. She gave up her chair at the head of the table for Ashura.

Everyone except Sonic and Sakana appeared stunned. The _Erus,_ allowing a mere _Land-Dweller_ to sit in her place! "He is not an ordinary guest," Arisu reminded them all. "He is the Chosen One. He is greater than I should ever hope to be." And then, while it was usually a servant's job to pull out the chair for one of higher importance, Arisu herself pulled out her chair for Ashura to sit in. He was hesitant and trembling. He wasn't used to all the attention, and he disliked being called "the Chosen One". Why wouldn't they just use his real name?

"What is the matter?" Arisu asked. Ashura shook his head quickly. "N-n-nothing, m-ma'am, it's fine. But . . . but I can't take your seat. I-it's yours."

"You are not taking it, Ashura. I am offering it to you."

"I-I can't----"

"Sit." Though it was a command, Arisu's voice was gentle. Taking a deep breath, Ashura sat down in the Erus's chair. She sat next to him on his left, and Sakana on his right. On the left side of the table, nearest Arisu, was an empty chair and Sonic. The Erus immediately noticed the vacant seat. "Keera?"

"Here, mother!" a small voice called. A moment later, a little girl wearing a red kimono and a sand-colored crown scrambled into the empty seat. Arisu sighed. "Keera, you must stop being late."

"I'm sorry, Mother," Keera apologized.

Ashura stared at the little girl, and felt a tiny smile play upon his lips. Princess Keera Uni was a miniature copy of Sakana, right down to the pink hair and jade eyes. The child couldn't have been more than ten, and her young age showed on her spunky but charming face.

Ashura didn't have much time to gawk, however, for the Uni all began to eat at once, and the sudden din distracted the poor, jumpy hedgehog. Sonic fell right in with them; shoveling the food into his mouth. Ashura didn't touch his. He sat perfectly still, staring down at his plate. His heart was racing. He had always longed to be liked, but this was too much. He was receiving royal treatment when he still felt like plain old Ashura the outcast. He would never admit it to anyone, but he almost hated what he was going through.

"You may be excused, if you like," Arisu murmured to him. Ashura looked up with a start. "What?" he whispered. "If you're uncomfortable, you do not have to be here," Arisu said. Ashura's brow wrinkled with confusion, and she gave him a small smile. "All Uni are psychic, you know. I can read your mind."

"Oh yeah . . ."

"Would you like to go?"

"N-no."

"You should. I know how stressed you are. It isn't healthy."

Ashura drew in a shuddering breath. "Th-thank you," he said, and left the dining hall quickly. Sakana watched him go, then glanced at Arisu. "Mother?"

"Leave him be for a few minutes," Arisu replied. "Let him calm down. Then you may go to him."

Ashura ran out to one of the throne room's balconies. He grasped the banister with both hands and hung his head, gasping. _You are such a coward, Ashura. A _coward._ Akuma is right. You are pathetic._ He was having a panic attack. His vision swam as his legs buckled. He almost threw up, but managed to keep it down. He had disgraced himself enough. _Why can't I be happy? _he asked himself. _I'm getting what I always wanted, and now I can't take it. It will probably be the last time I'm ever treated so nicely. But that's just me. Poor, pathetic Ashura._

Someone was coming. Ashura heard the soft, barefooted steps moving across the floor towards him. _Go away,_ he thought. _I don't want company. No one._

"Ashura?"

Oh, it's Sakana. Well, I guess that's all right. The hedgehog perked up just slightly.

"Ashura." Sakana walked up to him and stopped by his side. "Are you all right?"

"N-n-no."

"What happened?"

"I-I g-got s-scared."

"Of what?"

"T-too m-m-much att---attention."

"I see. And you aren't used to that."

"N-no. I-it's what I've always w-wanted . . . b-but now . . ."

"I understand," Sakana said. She placed her hands comfortingly on his shoulders. A shiver ran down Ashura's spine. It seemed that Sakana liked to touch him a lot. But he always felt a little better when she did. Perhaps it was her magic. He liked that.

"You aren't going to go hungry, are you?"

"I-I'm not . . . No."

"There's plenty of food in there. You can eat as much as you like. But you'd better hurry; the dinner only lasts for an hour."

"I-I'm not hungry anymore. I . . . I feel sick."

"Oh," Sakana said. "Would you like me to stand out here with you?"

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I did, a little. I don't mind staying with you."

"Okay," Ashura said softly. He glanced up at her. "You can stay."

"Thank you, Ashura."

- - - - -

_Darn. They left me alone in here with all these . . . weird people,_ Sonic thought. He kept his eyes on his food. If he didn't, he might stare at the others. He was nowhere near as terrified as Ashura was, but he felt uncomfortable among the Uni. Especially being near Arisu. The two of them hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot, and he was pretty sure that talking back to her and Sakana was a big no-no.

_I wonder what's wrong with ol' Ashura? Poor guy's been acting weird. Kinda looked like he was gonna pass out . . . And then Sakana went after him when he left. I _know_ something's gonna start between those two. The way she looks at him, the way she treats him, the way she's always touching him and comforting him. I'd say she's trying to be his mother, but she's too young for that. That means there's only one other explanation: she loves him._

Sonic couldn't stop a grin from creeping across his face. _She can deny it all she wants. I know when someone's got the hots for someone else._ He wondered if Ashura loved Sakana as well.

_Heh. He loves everybody. If he doesn't love Sakana, I'm the king o' France._

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**A/N:** I really dun like this chapter. Too short and dull, IMO. But I don't know what I can do to make it better, and I've gone over it several times. So . . . love it or leave it.


	11. General Unrest

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog, Lauren Antares, Alex & the Uni are © me

**MATURITY WARNING: This chapter contains sexuality.**

**11: General Unrest**

_"It's a nightmarish case of déjà vu: earlier today, the population of Station Square was badly shaken after several disturbing occurrences took place. Around noon, the plane of Miles 'Tails' Prower crashed in the harbor, where an enormous red waterspout sprung up out of nowhere a few minutes later. This waterspout then completely destroyed Emerald Isle: an island about three miles off the coast. When the Coast Guard set out to search for Miles, they picked up an unidentified hedgehog adrift in the water. He had reportedly been caught in the waterspout, and had severe injuries so he was returned to the docks to be taken to the hospital. But witnesses say he panicked while the paramedics tried to get him into the ambulance, broke the restraints holding him to the gurney, and took off into the city. He was pursued by . . ." _A video from a security camera on the docks was broadcasted then. It showed Sonic the Hedgehog chasing after a big green hedgehog with a black face.

Lauren Susanna Antares heard nothing of the rest of the news report. Her eyes were riveted to the security cam recording as it replayed the short chase scene over and over. She only blinked when her eyes dried out and began to water.

He hadn't changed a bit. He was bigger, but that was it.

Still the same old Ashura. _Her _Ashura. He was _alive._

Unbeknownst to her, the remote control slipped out of her slack hand and hit the living room floor, the impact causing its batteries to pop out. The sudden, sharp _thunk_ snapped Lauren out of her shock. She started to sit upand then remembered the current situation when she didn't rise. She and her "boyfriend" Alexander were lying on the couch together.

As usual, Alex had been drunk when he'd come over, and Lauren was in no position to argue with him. Lauren was a tough girlshe'd fearlessly tangled with thirteen boys during her high school yearsbut this muscleheaded red hedgehog was a lot stronger than she, not to mention randomly violent. And being drunk made him even worse. The second he stepped into her apartment, Lauren had led him to the couch so that they could get it over with.

The truth was, Lauren did not love Alex at all. She'd rarely loved any of the boys she'd slept with; it was always only to satisfy herself. A quick fix. Kind of like a cigarette. Alex just happened to be the current smoke.

Lauren grimaced and began to squirm under his heavy weight. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they were finished fornicating; his head rested on her shoulder, and his rank alcohol-tainted breath was blasting her straight in the face. She was also certain that he was drooling on her.

Suddenly, Lauren felt absolutely disgusted. What the hell was she doing with this pig when Ashura was alive and well in Station Square, fifteen miles away? _Let alone the fact that Alex was one of Ashura's former bullies._

"Get off me," Lauren growled, struggling to push herself out from under Alex's hulking body. She put one hand down on the floor to brace herself and gave the older boy a good shove. With a surprised yell, he rolled off of her and landed on top of his empty Miller bottle, crushing it instantly. _"Shit! _Lauren, what the f . . ."

"I gotta go," Lauren said, pulling her strapless bra and halter top off the back of the couch. "You can stay here if ya want; I don't care. Clean up after yourself."

"Lauren, my back . . ." Alex sat up and sluggishly brushed glass chunks from his back and quills. Ignoring him, Lauren yanked the halter top down over her head while struggling back into her thong and hot pants at the same time.

The images on TV caught Alex's attention, and it took several seconds for his drugged mind to comprehend what he was seeing. "Oh, that's . . . that's the . . . demon kid, ain't it? The Freak Boy." His bleary eyes widened with realization. "No . . . You ain't goin', Lauren. You stay right here. You're . . . You're mine."

_"Yours?"_ Lauren laughed, striding out to the kitchen now that she was fully dressed. "I don't belong to anyone. I can see whoever I want. And you know damn well I love Ashura more than you could ever hoped to be loved."

Alex finally got to his feet. Lauren glanced over her shoulder at him. Noting how his muscles showed through the dirty white tank top he wore, she began to feel a bit nervous. Alex was not going to stand for this.

"I get it now," the boy snorted, his icy blue eyes starting to glimmer. "So I was nothin' to you. Just a cheap ride."

"My, aren't you intelligent?" Lauren purred, reaching for her little pocketbook on the kitchen table.

"Bet you'll have a lotta fun wit' that lil' pansy." Alex was speaking directly in her ear now. He reached around from behind and seized her breasts. "Stupid as he is, you'll get him to do anything you want. Tell 'im he's gettin' a taco for dinner." He chuckled at his bad joke. "Yeah. Your little pet on a chain."

"Fuck off, Alex."

"No. See, this isn't how I do it. You mess around with me, you _stay_ with me, until I'm done with you."

"Get off me; I'm leaving."

"Guess they were right, huh? You're just a nasty little slut."

Lauren ducked down, slipping out of Alex's grasp, and stepped away from him. She snagged the strap of her pocketbook, slung it over her shoulder, and gave Alex a sarcastic look of sympathy. "Slut? Not until you pay me. See you." She walked haughtily past him and back into the living room, towards the front door.

As Lauren was stepping into her knee-length high-heeled boots, Alex came up quietly behind her, then grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall. "Stupid whores never know what they're gettin' into," he growled, and flung her to the floor. Before she could get up, he'd jumped on top of her. He pressed one knee into her belly and pinned her wrists against the floor. When she was secured, he leaned forward and shoved his tongue into her mouth.

Lauren let out a muffled scream and smashed her knee several times into his groin, until he rolled away groaning. Without hesitation, Lauren snatched up her pocketbook and scrambled for the door.

Alex recovered sooner than expected and pounced on her while her fingers were just centimeters from the doorknob. He wrapped an arm tight around her neck and began to rub his body up and down on hers, while sloppily kissing the side of her face with an open mouth.

_"Motherfucker!"_ Lauren snapped her head up violently, slamming it into Alex's face. The hedgehog once again screamed hoarsely and tumbled away from her. Lauren sprang up and bolted out the door. She'd barely reached the stairwell at the end of the hall when she heard Alex's footsteps pounding after her. She flew down the four flights of stairs, skipping steps and hurting her ankle, until she reached the ground floor and the parking lot outside. She remote-started her miniature white Beetle as she approached it, so she was able to dive right in and kick the little car into gear before Alex even made it outside. She peeled out of the parking lot and sped down the road until her apartment building was out of sight.

When she figured she was a safe distance from Alex, she pulled into a HEXAeco gas station parking lot and leaned her head against the steering wheel, trying to get her breath back and her bearings together.

Her fear ebbed quickly. She was used to hotheaded males flipping out when she decided to break it off. Besides, she had more important things to think about right now.

_Ashura . . ._

Lauren sat up finally and backed out of the parking lot. She headed for the on-ramp to the highway that would take her to her destiny.

* * *

The hedgehogs' designated room was twice the size of an ordinary bedroom, both in height and width, and there were two queen-sized beds across the room from one another. Next to each bed was an oil lamp on a night table, and a small bureau. Everything was in shades of white, sand and gold. The walls were covered with paintings of waterscapes, and the floor was made of sand-colored marble tiles. The beds sat on circular pieces of silver "shag carpet", made from various trimmed sea grasses.

"You like?" the servant Suka asked uneasily, wringing her thin gray hands. The poor woman was nervous by nature, and being in the presence of such honored guests made her worse than usual, especially since her grasp of English was weak. "I-I help make it good. Has not been used in a time long." She chuckled anxiously.

"It's the Trump Hotel!" Sonic yelled, making a flying leap for the bed on the right side of the room. He bounced off the extra-soft mattress and landed hard on his stomach. Luckily, the rug cushioned his fall. Suka placed her hand over her mouth and chuckled. "Are you all right, Sonic?" Ashura asked, leaning forward apprehensively. "Yeah, yeah, never better," Sonic muttered, getting to his feet. He looked back at Suka. "Hey, that ain't funny! I coulda broke my neck!"

"But you didn't," Suka giggled. Sonic folded his arms across his chest and looked away.

"Lavatory is back that door," Suka explained, pointing to a door at the back of the room. "Feel all right to call anyone if you need things," Suka said. "Enjoy, my friends." And with that, she left the room quickly.

Sonic strode over to the bed on the left side of the room, hopped onto itmore carefully this timeand settled on his back, with his arms folded beneath his head. "Aww, this is great," he murmured. "As good as any of those ritzy hotels I've been to. Kinda makes me wanna forget I'm underwater, eh, Ash?"

Ashura was still standing near the doors, gazing about the room. He didn't answer his brother. Sonic propped himself up on one elbow and said, "Earth to Rain Man?"

Ashura blinked and finally acknowledged Sonic. "Sorry."

"Quit actin' like a stranger. Siddown or somethin'. You look so out of place just standin' there."

"Oh . . . Okay." Ashura walked to the unclaimed bed rather stiffly, as if he were being extremely careful not to trip or do something else clumsy. He sat timidly on the edge of the bed, hunched his shoulders, and stared at his feet.

Sonic frowned and trotted over to him. "Have you ever heard the word _relax,_ Ashura?"

"Yes."

"So do it! It's not gonna kill ya to!" _Oh, bad choice of words._ He mentally kicked himself as Ashura cringed. "Um, listen . . . You've got a nice, warm bed now, and good food, and people who like you. Hell, they're treating you like a god!"

"I _know_ they are!" Ashura burst out suddenly, making Sonic jump. "I don't like it! I'm not a god, or anyone special! I'm just Ashura! No one is supposed to like me!"

A few seconds later, Sonic murmured, "Who says they can't?" Ashura looked as if he wanted to answer, but closed his eyes tightly instead.

_It's Dad,_ Sonic realized. _Ashura still thinks he's here. Around every corner, behind every door, outside every window . . . Like Big Brother._ He put an arm around Ashura's shoulders and said, "Now you listen to me, bro; listen close: You are _free._ Dad's not here anymore. Neither is Mom, or any of your bullies. Hell, even _I _haven't seen our parents in years." He knew it wouldn't be easy to break Ashura out of his mental prison; it might even take a psychologist to do so. But comforting words were a start.

"I know that, Sonic," Ashura murmured. "But I . . . I just can't . . ." His breathing sped up. "No, no, don't get excited," Sonic said quickly. "It's okay. Relax, big man. Lay down or somethin'. I won't let anything hurt'cha, okay?"

Without warning, Ashura latched onto Sonic as he had in the alley. Sonic was unsure whether this embrace was out of love or need of comfort. _I'll never get used to this. _He patted Ashura on the head while blushing slightly. "Yeah. I'm here for ya."

"I love you, Sonic."

Sonic's cheeks darkened. "I . . ." He couldn't bring himself to say it. The words were too awkward, especially directed towards another male. "Uh . . . Okay . . . You can let go now . . ."

Ashura complied immediately. _"You_ don't protect me, Sonic. _I_ have to protect _you."_

"Whatever you say," Sonic replied, rolling his eyes. To be honest, he didn't have much faith in Ashura. _Leave the world in the hands of a retard. I'll personally eat my shoes if he puts me out of a job._

_

* * *

_

The guests of honor were given an hour and a half simply for relaxation. For the last fifteen minutes of this period, little Princess Keera waited anxiously outside the doors of their room. She was a friendly and curious young girl, and desperately wanted to get to know the Land-Dwellers while they were around. She might never get this opportunity again. While the Uni had always studied Land-Dwellers and their ways, they did not fully trust the strangers. Especially humans, whom they were at odds withbut that was a different story.

The Uni normally used the movement of the sun and moon to tell time, but since they had been forced to move into a cavern, time could only be guessed. Which frustrated Keera. If she did anything too early or too late, she was reprimanded, and if she asked continually was time it was, the same thing happened. No one knew anyway, so it was pretty useless asking.

Finally, convinced she had actually waited longer than the allotted time, Keera knocked on the door and announced, "It's Princess Keera. May I speak with you?" Having been educated in a few of the major world languages as well as her own, Keera's English was next to perfect.

She had to wait for several seconds, and feared that the hedgehogs wouldn't answer her. She hoped she wasn't bothering them. Her inquisitiveness and verbosity often passed her off as a nag.

But then the door opened, and Keera found herself facing the smaller blue hedgehog. "Hey there, princess. Whatcha need?" he asked. Keera noted that his speech was very informal, yet he was friendly. "Oh, nothing. I'd just like to talk to both of you. It looks like you and the Chosen One might be here for a while, and I thought we should get to know each other. Maybe I could help you get to know _everyone:_ I was thinking of giving you a tour of our city. That is, if you'd like. Mother said I could."

The hedgehog shrugged. "Beats hangin' around in here all day. I know Ash would love a tour. He wants to get to know you guys too." He opened the door wider. "Wanna ask 'im?"

"All right," said Keera, stepping into the room. The Chosen One was seated on a bed, looking very reticent. "Hello there," Keera said to him, somehow thinking that she should speak gently. "I'm Princess Keera Uni. I haven't learned your name yet. Everyone just keeps calling you 'the Chosen One'. Do you have a real name?"

The big hedgehog smiled, though it looked forced, and his eyes didn't meet hers. "Ashura," he said quietly. The royal child nodded. Whatever language his name was derived from, she hadn't learnt it. "I'm very pleased to meet you both. Well, anyway, I came to ask if you would like to have a tour of the city."

"I'm goin', Ash," Sonic prompted his brother. "There's really nothin' better to do. Dont'cha wanna look around?"

Ashura stood as if on cue. "Of course," he said. Keera looked him over closely. He was so much bigger than Sonic, and noticeably muscular. Yet there was an uncertain awkwardness about him, as if he weren't used to his big, strong body.

Though she hardly knew him yet, Keera loved him immediately.

As the trio ventured out into the city, they were granted clearance by the guards, but one insisted on accompanying them. It was his duty, he reminded the princess, to uphold her safety. So the hedgehogs were forced to walk (a bit nervously) in the presence of the towering palace guard with his 8-foot spear.

It turned out the guests were lucky to have their speed, as Keera was quick and excited; doing her best to show them how wonderful her home was. She went from the preferred species of edible fish to the number of Uni in a clustered hut "community" almost in one breath. Even Sonic found himself saying, "Slow down, kid!"

Of course, the tour soon gained many onlookers. There were easily twenty children and several older Uni following after the princess and her guests. The quiet onlookers with their huge eyes and foreign whispers made both hedgehogs edgy, like they were zoo exhibits. Ashura feared that they found him ugly, while Sonic was merely irritated by them.

"Sonic," Ashura murmured finally, "do you think they don't like us?"

"No way," Sonic reassured him. "They're just curious. They've probably never seen anything like us before." The azure hedgehog smirked suddenly. "I'll give 'em somethin' to gawk at." He'd hardly finished his sentence when he took off. The speed of his departure threw up a cloud of dust and sand, and nearly blew Keera's kimono up past her waist. She gasped and forced the billowing hem back down, and shot an astonished gaze at Ashura. "What just happened!"

"Sonic is running," Ashura said calmly, watching the blue streak with close interest.

And so he was. Sonic had reached the city's edge in little more than four seconds, and he didn't stop there. He kept running right along the pool's surface; one of his favorite tricks. He made a wide turn at the far end of the pool so he wouldn't have to slow down to avoid hitting the cavern wall, and headed back into the city. A small crowd had gathered along the pool's edge by then to watch Sonic's display, and they all had to leap back as he came soaring onto solid ground, dousing them with the massive plumes of water he'd kicked up.

". . . Oh my," was all Keera could say. In her undersea world, the fastest creatures she knew were sharks and killer whales. Well, none of _those_ animals could keep up with Sonic for even a second! Even as the princess was thinking that, Sonic came racing past her, throwing out a cocky "Hey!" as he went by.

Once again trying to tame her flapping kimono, Keera asked Ashura, "Do all hedgehogs run like that?"

"No," he said concisely. Keera tilted her head slightly. "Can _you?"_

Ashura studied his shifting feet. ". . . No," he murmured, too shy to admit that he _was_ rather speedy himself. It was true, but there was no way he could keep up with Sonic. And if he tried, he would tire in less than a minute. So really, there was nothing so special about himself to say.

Meanwhile, Keera's kimono wasn't the only thing Sonic's speed stirred up. The Uni's huts rattled violently in his wake, and even the tree corals trembled and creaked. As he made his second round towards the outskirts of the city, one of the corals seemed to shudder and jump up from the ground. It was old and weak from little light, and in fact a minor gust on land might have knocked it over. So Sonic's over-500 miles-per-hour passing treated the giant plant like a playing card in a storm gale, and over it went.

Sonic didn't even notice what he'd done, until he realized that the Uni's surprised cries were becoming more alarmed. He skidded to a stop, leaving almost red-hot streaks on the stone ground, and looked back over his shoulder. _"Shit!"_ he yelled when he finally saw the tree coral collapsing. There were people in that damn thing's way! He got on the move again, gritting his teeth. If he got to the coral in time, it would be extremely close. And how was he supposed to stop it? If he used a Spin-Dash to bust it up, Uni would still be hurt by the falling pieces.

_Kids_ were beneath the falling coral. Some wouldn't be able to get out of the way fast enough, and most were frozen with terror. Keera was trying to move them, but she couldn't get to them all in time. She would be hurt, too.

_This is my fault! _My_ fault! This is_

And suddenly, Sonic stopped running. "Oh my _God,"_ he breathed.


	12. Winding Down

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog & Amy Rose are © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog, Lauren Antares & the Uni are © me

**12: Winding Down**

Lauren finally realized that she had no idea where she was going. She didn't even know where to start looking.

_Sonic was chasing Ashura. If I find Sonic, he might tell me where Ashie is._

_ . . . I wonder if they remember each other after all this time._

Lauren pulled in along the curb near a tiny café. She would ask for directions in there, and maybe get a dose of warm caffeine to calm herself.

She decided on a cappuccino, ordered, and sat down alone at a window table. Gripping the paper cup tightly in both hands, she stared out the window at the city residents. Many of them were packing up their cars, ready to leave Station Square before things got too hairy. The scene was almost enough to break Lauren's heart. They knew better this time.

Not two or three years ago, these peoples' homes and families had been utterly destroyed by Perfect Chaos, an ancient water deity fueled by rage. It was a wonder anyone was left alive. It was a wonder they continued to live here.

And as if to underscore what was now to come: Lauren had noticed, as she'd driven closer to Station Square, that the city seemed to be covered in clouds, while the surrounding sky was clear. The foreboding of it had made Lauren feel sick with fear, but she knew she couldn't turn back. Not without Ashura.

Movement across the table disrupted her melancholy thoughts. She looked up sharply, and as if by signal, the newcomer broke into chatter. "Hi. I hope you don't mind if I sit here. I just got out of the rain. I was admiring your quills; they're just like mine! Did you straighten them?"

She was a pink hedgehog with sparkling green eyes, who looked to be in her early teens. She was wearing a pale violet tie-front shirt, a denim miniskirt, a headband with a fake white rose attached, and a pair of gold wrist rings to secure her gloves. But her most outstanding feature was her quills: they hung straight down to her shoulders, instead of standing out stiffly as most hedgehogs' did. Indeed, they were just like Lauren's.

"No straightening. I was born this way," Lauren replied, patting her slack quills a bit self-consciously. "Cheater," the younger girl said, faking a pout. "My quills used to be regular, but I pulled 'em down. They look nicer that way."

"Have we met?"

"Oh, sorry!" The girl giggled with embarrassment. "I'm Amy Rose."

"Lauren Antares." The two females shook hands across the table.

"You came here at a bad time, if you don't mind me saying," Amy said. Lauren smirked a little. "How do you know I don't live here?"

"There aren't a whole lot of furries in Station Square. I've never seen you before."

"Well . . . I came to find a friend. I want to get him outta here before things get any worse. Uh, would you happen to know where Sonic the Hedgehog lives?"

Amy Rose bristled. "Sonic wouldn't be that _friend,_ would he?"

Lauren leaned back defensively. "No. Sonic might know where he is." She relaxed quickly, and cocked an eyebrow. "Do I sense jealousy here?"

Amy blushed. "Sorry. I'm looking for Sonic, too. Ya see, I'm his girlfriend."

Lauren folded her arms across her chest. "Oh, yeah, I've seen you before. You're the one he's got to save all the time."

"Yup." Amy flushed with pride. "I know that something bad is happening, and you can bet Sonic's going to be at the center of it. I just have to make sure he's okay. By the way, who's this guy you're looking for?"

Lauren leaned over the table, as if about to disclose confidential information. "On the news report, did you see the video of Sonic chasing another hedgehog?"

"Yeah. I heard there's a warrant out for him."

"What! _Why?"_

"Well, because he flipped out and ran away like that. They were trying to put him in an ambulance, and he broke the straps _and_ the bed. The feds wanna catch 'im now. Maybe they think he's connected to what's been happening. They _did_ find him after the waterspout, you know."

Lauren's eyes narrowed furiously, and she sat back hard. "Why can't they just leave 'im alone? He only ran away because he was scared."

"That's your friend? The guy they're after?"

"Yes; poor guy . . ."

Amy perked up. "I have an idea!"

"What's that?"

_"I'm_ looking for _Sonic,_ and _you _say Sonic might know where _your_ friend is. So why don't we look for them together?"

Lauren allowed a small smile on her stormy face. "Sounds good to me. That'll save me the trouble of hunting all over this city or asking for directions." She stood immediately, remembered to grab her coffee, and rushed out of the café, with Amy close at her heels.

* * *

Young as she was, Keera's first thought had been to save the other children before running to safety. But well before she'd shoved them all out of the way, the shadow of the falling tree coral closed over her, and she could practically feel it bearing down on her. She grabbed the nearest child: a confused girl of two, and held her tightly in her arms, hoping to protect her.

She never felt the impact. She thought that the tree coral had killed her instantly so that she hadn't felt the pain. Or perhaps it had broken her back, or maybe just knocked her out. She opened one eye, then the other.

It was Ashura.

The big hedgehog was putting his muscle to good use. At the last second he'd dashed under the coral and caught it on his shoulders. But it didn't look like he could hold it for very long. He was trembling badly; every muscle in his body was strained. Veins were even popping along his forehead and biceps. One foot began to slip out from under him, and he quickly readjusted it with an alarmed gasp.

Still stunned, Sonic walked closer. "Ash . . .?" he said. _"Get . . . them . . ._ _out,"_ Ashura groaned through clenched teeth. Sonic shook his head, snapping out of his stupor. "Right!" The little blue hedgehog zipped back and forth, snatching up the terrified children and placing them well away from the giant tree coral.

Now there was just one problem left: how to get Ashura out from under the coral without it falling on him.

Sonic knelt next to his struggling brother. "Ashura, can you lift it higher?"

_"No,"_ Ashura gasped. In fact, he was losing his grip. The coral was sinking inch by inch. Suddenly, Ashura's legs tried to give out, and the coral shot down low enough to strike Sonic on the head. He threw himself to the ground before it did. Ashura cried out and steadied himself once more. Now sweat was dripping off his nose, his face was turning red, and his breathing was labored. His strength would deplete within the minute.

Sonic scrambled out from under the coral and turned in a circle, addressing the observing Uni. "What are you just standing there for! We gotta help 'im!" And with that he joined Ashura under the coral again, helping to hold it up. It was like pushing on a cement wall. _How can he hold onto this thing!_

_"Hurry, Sonic,"_ Ashura rasped, looking drained and frightened. He had nothing left to give.

Suddenly, Keera translated Sonic's rallying cry, and threw herself under the shuddering coral to support it. With that, the onlooking Uni all rushed to help. Even children who were barely tall enough to reach the coral's smooth underside tried to join in.

On a count of three by Keera, everyone gave a collective upwards heave, and the giant tree coral rose quickly. "That's it, Ash! Go!" Sonic shouted.

Ashura's bones seemed to have disintegrated. He wobbled slackly and fell forward, flat on his face. The Uni shifted themselves behind the coral and let it crash at their feet.

"Ash!" Sonic cried, falling at his brother's side. "Ashura, are you okay? Talk to me!"

The right side of Ashura's face was pressed into the stony ground. He was breathing so hard that his saliva sprayed the ground, and he even had a nosebleed from the exertion. He opened his left eye partially and tried to smile at Sonic. "I saved them . . ."

"Yeah," Sonic said, patting him on the back. "You did great, Ash."

"Mr. Ashura!" Now Keera had joined the hedgehogs. "Is he all right, Mr. Sonic?"

"I dunno."

"I am . . . just tired . . ."

Keera bit her lip, then called for the guard that had accompanied them on the tour. She pulled him down to her height and instructed him rapidly in Unese, pointing at Ashura. _"Ya,"_ he said, and scooped the limp hedgehog into his powerful arms. Ashura moaned softly and cringed; apparently some part of him was hurt. "We're taking him to the royal infirmary," Keera told Sonic. "He might just need rest. Our doctors can give him medicine for pain."

"Good," said Sonic, hurrying after the guard as he carried Ashura back towards the palace. "Sonic?" the exhausted hedgehog whimpered. "I'm here," Sonic told him. Ashura reached out to him. "Don't leave me . . ."

"I won't," Sonic promised, taking his hand.

* * *

The head physician was named Miss Kanby: a middle-aged, grandmotherly-looking woman. She was a bit plump, and her back-length brown hair had thick silver streaks in it. When Ashura first looked at her after the guard laid him down on a bed, he smiled instantly. "Hello."

"Heavens, what happened to him?" the woman demanded in Unese. "He looks as if he's got no strength left!" Now that Ashura had relaxed a bit, his previously red face was pale, and there were the beginnings of dark circles under his glazed eyes. He was still trembling, and his voice was faint.

"One of the tree corals fell over, and he caught it," Keera explained. "If he hadn't, people might have gotten hurt."

Miss Kanby glanced down at the Chosen One. He looked well-built, yes, but . . . "He _held_ a tree coral? All by him_self?"_

"Yes; for a little while. Then we all helped to lift it off him."

Miss Kanby held Keera's eye contact for a few more seconds; then she got to work on Ashura. "Are you hurting anywhere?" she asked him in English. "M-my shoulders," he said faintly. Miss Kanby shot a glance at two of her colleagues, and the three of them flipped Ashura onto his stomach. Indeed, his brawny shoulders were badly bruised. One of his quills had come loose also.

One of the doctors sat a silver tray of supplies on the bedside table. Miss Kanby picked up a fat little clay jar and pulled the lid off. One of the other doctors handed her a piece of cloth from the tray, which she dipped into the jar. "What is that?" asked Sonic.

"It eases pain," Miss Kanby told him. "It is venom extracted from jellyfish tentacles. Diluted, of course," she added quickly as Sonic opened his mouth to shout. "It may only sting a bit, but it won't hurt him. It will numb the pain."

When the cloth seemed soaked enough with the weakened venom, Miss Kanby pulled it out of the jar and began to dab it over the bruises on Ashura's shoulders. He whimpered once, but otherwise the medicament didn't seem to bother him.

Miss Kanby continued until his fur was visibly damp, then used the dry portion of the cloth to wipe the blood from Ashura's face, and finally tossed the cloth onto the silver tray. "Anywhere else?" she asked. Ashura mumbled a negative response. "Then that's all," the doctor said. "You just get your rest, and you'll be as good as new."

"Thank you . . ."

"You're quite welcome. Oh, and I wouldn't recommend lying on your back just yet." She trailed off a bit at the end of her sentence. Ashura was almost asleep already. Miss Kanby pulled the sheet out from under him and covered him with it, while one of her aides took away the supply tray.

Sonic sat carefully on the edge of the bed, so as not to disturb his brother. _He may not be smart, but he's tough. I mighta underestimated 'im . . . Well, sure, he's strong, but can he use that strength to fight? That was just to protect_

Sonic's ears perked suddenly. _He goes on offense to _protect_ somebody!_

The next time they met up with Akuma, Sonic wondered . . . Should he purposely put himself in danger to get Ashura to fight back? It was underhanded, but there really wasn't a choice. If Ashura didn't battle Akuma, they were all going to Hell.

* * *

_"With a WOMAN!"_

Amy was irate. When she and Lauren had gone into Oceanside Heights to ask if Sonic was home, the desk clerk had said that he'd seen Sonic walk out around two hours ago with another hedgehog and a tall woman.

"What in the _hell_ is he doing with another _woman!"_

The two girls were sitting back against the curved hood of the Beetle. One ranted, while the other brooded.

_I can't believe it. I missed him by TWO FREAKING HOURS. He _is_ here. He _is_ with Sonic. Two freaking hours!_

"Amy, do you have any idea where Sonic might have gone?"

"Probably a strip club," Amy snorted coldly. Lauren frowned. "I mean seriously, Amy. I _need_ to find Ashura. This is more important than Sonic cheating on you. And who says he was, anyway?"

"Hel_lo?_ It's kinda _obvious_ if he's with another _woman!_ And he didn't even _tell _me!" Amy pounded her fists on her thighs. "Damn it! _Damn_ him!"

Lauren suddenly grabbed the girl's arm. "Listen to me, Amy: I have not seen Ashura in almost twelve years. His own mother _abandoned_ him when he was eight years old. For all I know, he's been living on Emerald Isle this whole time. _Alone._ And now it's gone. He's got to be terrified. _I_ was his only friend when we were little. I still love him, and I need to help him. I've got to show him he's still loved. Now, please, _tell_ me: where do you think Sonic might have gone?"

The girls stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Amy broke the gaze, looking sadly at her lap. "II honestly don't know, Lauren. I'm sorry." It surprised her how little she actually knew about Sonic.

Lauren let go of her arm and nodded. "Thank you, Amy." Then she buried her face in her hands and cried silently. Amy pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees, gazing off into space. And the two of them sat out there in the drizzle, feeling utterly alone and hopeless.

As the sky darkened with the onset of night, Amy inquired, "Lauren, do you have a place to stay?"

"I can get a hotel room," the older girl mumbled. She was resting her forehead against her knees now, and her voice was very soft. Amy smiled gently. "You don't have to do that. You can spend the night with me."

"Got your own place?"

"Yup; it's a rowhome. Not the best, but you know. I get by."

"Huh. That's nice." Lauren straightened up. "Well, thanks a lot. I guess I'll stay."

"Great." The girls slid off the hood and got into the car.

As they drove back into the city, Amy said, "Lauren? What's Ashura like? Or, what did he used to be like?"

Lauren smiled, and her face actually relaxed, as if she had entered a dream. "Wonderful. Absolutely the sweetest boy you could imagine. He was so nice and shy it almost hurt. He . . . He wasn't exactly the popular kid."

"Turn . . . He was bullied?"

"Oh, terribly. His father was the worst."

Amy gasped. "His dad _beat_ him?"

Lauren sighed. "He whipped Ashura into this docile frightened little kid. Can you believe thatwell, from what I saw, anywayAshura had no hatred for his father?"

"Right at this next lightNo way."

"Ashura didn't have a mean bone in his body. He'd go right up to a kid who hated his guts and be like 'Oh, hello, how are you, do you want to play with me?' It was awful to see how cruel they were to him."

"Why were they? He sounds so . . . Sounds like a nice guy."

Lauren snorted. " 'Cuz of the way he looked. And his name. He was 'weird'."

Amy fell silent for several moments, directing Lauren through the city with points of her finger. Then she said, "You told me he was abandoned. Why would anyone do that?"

". . . I don't like to talk about it," Lauren said stonily. Amy turned her head. "Sorry."

"S'okay. But I'll tell you this: it was all his dad's fault. I never got all the details, but I know Jules Hedgehog did something to him. Son of a bitch . . ."

It turned out Amy's rowhome was in a shoddier section of the city, but the interior of the house itself wasn't so bad. It was almost inviting, as a matter of fact. One walked right into the living room from the door, and was bombarded with pink softness. The wallpaper was white with tiny pink roses, and the carpet and couch, both light pink, were reminiscent of plush. There was even a fake fireplace in front of the couch, and hanging above the mantle was a life-sized poster of Sonic the Hedgehog. Lauren also noticed that there was a portrait of Sonic on the wall, and several pictures of him (sometimes with Amy) on the mantle. Even more pictures of Sonic, Amy, and their friends hung diagonally on the wall following the ascending steps. Lauren had to comment, "Are you sure Sonic's your boyfriend, or are you just a stalker?"

"Better watch yourself, or I'll kick you out."

"Hey, that's fine with me; I saw a couple hotels comin' down here."

Amy giggled. "I'm starvin'; I don't know if I ate all day. I can cook some TV dinners quick."

"I don't care; whatever you make's fine with me."

"Okay. Hey, turn on the news, why don't ya?"

"Right." Lauren picked up the remote off the coffee table on which the TV sat, in front of the fake fireplace. She seated herself on Amy's feather-soft couch and took another look around the house before turning the TV on. She couldn't help feeling a bit sardonic. _Here I am: nineteen years old, and that kid's got a better place than me._

She switched the TV on; the channel was already set on the local news station, DreamNews. Lauren's jaw dropped. "Amy, come here!"

Amy was leaning over the back of the couch in a few seconds. "WhaOh God!"

"Amy . . . Who is that?"

"It . . . It's Tails."

They were watching an amateur film of the fight between Good and Evil that had occurred several hours ago.

"Tails . . . Oh, something's _wrong_ with him . . ."

Indeed. Tails would never try to hurt anyone, much less strangle a helpless-looking hedgehog with his tails.

_"Ashura!"_ Lauren screamed, falling to her knees in front of the TV. "Lauren, it's all right; it's not live!" Amy told her.

After what seemed like hours, Sonic finally arrived on the scene. He was carrying something that looked like a small staff. Then Tailsor the creature that looked like himmaterialized fire in an attempt to destroy the hedgehogs. Lauren screamed again and covered her eyes.

"Lauren, look! They're okay!"

Lauren refused to look. With one hand still over her eyes, the other hand skittered over the TV and pounded the Power button. The images and sound stopped abruptly.

Lauren turned away and balled herself up, wailing. Amy sat on her knees behind her, one hand pressed over her mouth. "Don't turn it back on . . ." Lauren begged her. "Please . . ."

"Lauren . . . I-I'm sure they're okay. Nothing bad ever happens when Sonic's around. Remember how the desk clerk said they left the apartment? Well, maybe that footage was shot _before_ that. See, maybe they're okay. They went home, and then left again. We gotta turn it back on so we know what happened to them."

Lauren knew Amy was right. But she didn't want to watch anymore. It hadn't ended. Ashura was still being beaten. She didn't know why . . . But something was terribly wrong.

Amy eventually turned the set back on. Lauren didn't look at the screen, and blocked out the audio. She tried to fill her head with thoughts of their youth. She, and Ashura.

"Lauren . . ."

Amy spoke softly in her ear.

"Lauren, I told you. They went home after the fight. Which means they're okay."

"How do you know?" Lauren croaked. "What if thatthat _thing_ went after them again?"

Amy sighed and put an arm around the older girl's shoulders. She didn't offer any comforting words; she didn't know what to say. She wasn't all that optimistic herself.

* * *

"What is this?" demanded Sonic.

"They want to give their thanks, Mr. Sonic," Keera said.

Nearly fifteen Uni, children and their parents, had crowded around the Chosen One's bed.

"Now, come on," Sonic protested. "Can't they come back later? Ash is tired."

"No, Sonic . . . It's all right." Ashura sat up and slumped forward, too fatigued to hold himself upright. Even so, he managed a smile. "Hello, everyone."

A little girl with flaxen hair climbed up onto the bed with Ashura. A large plant was clutched in her hand: a pinkish orange sea fan. She held it out to Ashura, smiling. _"Kantes, Erus."_

Ashura chuckled gently. "I'm not the Erus."

The child pushed the sea fan at him, urging him to take it. _"Kantes."_

Ashura finally took her gift. "Thank you. It's very pretty."

The little girl wrapped her arms around Ashura's neck, murmuring words he couldn't understand. He looked surprised at first, then humbled, then finally blissful. Tears filled his eyes as he awkwardly returned the child's embrace with one arm. "Thank you."

_"Kantes."_

"Yes . . ."

Sonic tried not to roll his eyes. He tried to feel happy for Ashura; after all, when was the last time he'd been treated with such love? But really, the whole scene was too mushy for him. Especially when all the other kids got up on Ashura's bed and tried to hug him too.

Eventually, the doctors shooed Ashura's visitors away . . . All except two (and Keera). Sakana and Arisu had come in to see how the Chosen One was doing. As could be expected, Sakana was very coddling with him. "You did a very brave thing, Ashura," she kept telling him while stroking between his ears. Ashura looked like he was getting high off the contentment.

Arisu, being her usual austere self, merely congratulated and thanked Ashura. "Perhaps he does have the strength to protect us," she commented to her daughter. "I knew he did all along," Sakana replied.

Though Ashura's injuries came nowhere near the qualifications for an overnight stay in the infirmary, Miss Kanby was reluctant to let him go. In fact, Sonic and the royal family suspected she'd grown attached to him already. And who wouldn't?

"I'm worried about how exhausted he looks."

"And no wonder," replied the queen. "A good night's sleep will take care of that, Miss Kanby."

"He may need more medication if the pain comes back."

Arisu chuckled. "My Sakana can take care of that."

"Indeed," said Sakana, rubbing Ashura's unbroken ear with her fingertips. Her touch seemed to be lulling him.

"Well, all right," Miss Kanby conceded. "But please: someone keep an eye on him."

"Will do," Sonic spoke up. Ashura smiled at the doctor. "I will be all right." Miss Kanby nearly melted. He was such a charming fellow.

"If you want to get in a full night's sleep, we best leave now," said Arisu. "Thank you for your aid, Miss Kanby."

"Of course, milady. You take care of yourself, Ashura."

_No, ma'am; I think you'll be seeing him many more times in the next week,_ Sakana thought sadly.

Ashura scooted off the bed and gazed up at the woman doctor. She was such a nice lady. He really wanted to give her a hug, but he thought that might look stupid. He combed his mind frantically for some token of appreciation, and then held out his hand. Miss Kanby laughed and shook it. "What a gentleman."

On the way back to their quarters, Sonic couldn't keep his eyes off Ashura. The big hedgehog, looking so bleak earlier today, now looked as if he could fly. No more self-conscious shuffling about and hunched shoulders; he was nearly skipping. He held his head up, his eyes were bright, ears perked (even the broken one lifted slightly), and he was _smiling._ The smile wasn't fake, either; it relayed genuine happiness.

Before letting her guests retire for the night, Sakana had to give them a quick final briefing of their room and its accessories, particularly the bathroom. There was a cylindrical stall with a sliding door that was the shower, and a large, round hole in the floor that was the bathtub (it look more like a hot tub, by its architecture, but it had a spigot, a drain plug, and two small valves that controlled the water). The sinks (yes, _sinks:_ there were two of them) were like any above ground, but the toilet was a different story. It was much smaller than an ordinary toilet; looking more like a short, fat pipe. It only had a lid: no seat, no flush handle, and no bowl. Although upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a dark, water-filled chamber beneath the pipe. The whole thing was akin to a Port-A-Potty. Sonic wrinkled his nose at this realization. "Hope we don't get food poisoning from your sushi while we're here, 'cuz it won't be pretty."

The whole time, Lady Arisu leaned in the doorway to the room, waiting for her eldest daughter (Keera had already gone off to bed) and looking quite sour. _Would it kill her to smile once?_ Sonic thought to himself.

_I have much to worry about, _the queen responded telepathically, _and if you weren't so blithe, you'd be just like me._

Sonic had forgotten about the mind reading. He suddenly felt uncomfortable and exposed. These people could get into his head whenever they wanted to.

His agitated thoughts were interrupted by Ashura's sudden appearance next to him. The older hedgehog reeked of cheerfulness; Sonic half expected to see flowers and birdies floating around him. "Say good night to Sakana, Sonic. It's time for bed."

"You're worse than my mother," Sonic grumbled, but decided to be polite for once. " 'Night, Sakana."

"Good night, my friends." Behind them, the princess leaned down to hug Ashura around his neck. The Chosen One went stiff at first; he didn't like things touching his neck. But he knew Sakana wouldn't hurt him, and he relaxed, nuzzling his head into her shoulder. "Awww, can I have a hug, too?" Sonic cooed in an obnoxiously sweet voice.

Sakana embraced him next. "Hey!" Sonic yelped, squirming in her arms. "I was kidding!" For added effect, Sakana kissed him on the top of his head. "That's it!" Sonic yelled, jerking away from her. Sakana giggled. "I didn't want you to feel left out."

"I'd rather be," Sonic muttered, wiping his head. "You can cuddle Ash all ya want."

Sakana finally left the room, waving and calling over her shoulder, "Make sure to get plenty of rest. Pleasant dreams." She closed the double doors behind her, and the hedgehogs were finally left to themselves.

"Sakana is so nice," Ashura commented. "Everyone's nice here."

" 'Cept Queen Sourpuss," Sonic added. "And what's got into you? First you're a social reject, and now you're jacked up on Prozac. You're scarin' me here."

"I . . ." Ashura lowered his head now, trying to find a solid reason for his sudden happiness. "I did a good thing. I helped people. I _saved_ them. And now . . . everyone loves me."

"They loved ya before."

"Yeah, but . . . I . . . I see it now. And I really feel it. It's just like" He stopped suddenly. Sonic looked hard at him. "Like what?"

"Like . . . How Lauren loved me." The memory of his young girlfriend seemed to hurt. "And you . . . When we were little." That sentence seemed to be added at the last second, as if Ashura were making a point. Sonic's face softened a bit. "I don't _hate_ ya, bro."

"I know. I know that." But Ashura still wasn't quite convinced. Sonic wasn't showing him love the way he had when he was a boy. He was different now; more standoffish.

Sonic probably didn't like him. Probably thought he was stupid.

"Wonder what time it is?" Sonic was muttering to himself. "Don't see any clocks in here . . . It's probably around nine, ten . . . I don't usually go to sleep 'til late, or whenever I want . . ." He shrugged and headed over to the bed on the right side of the room. "Dibs," he said. Ashura nodded, quickly recalling the declaration used to claim items. He took the bed opposite from Sonic's.

Sonic kicked off his sneakers and lay down, but propped himself up on one elbow and stared into space. Ashura watched him, feeling isolated. He wasn't quite tired yet, and he had nothing to do. So he got up and joined Sonic over on his bed. "Hello."

" 'Ey."

". . . Are you thinking?"

"Yeah."

"About what?"

"Stuff. You wouldn't like it. It's depressing. I'm thinkin' 'bout our job, Ash. And Tails."

"He's the one . . . that Akuma took. Right?"

"Yeah. Poor kid. Ya know, it just makes sense. The most evil being in the world would take the body of the sweetest kid I know. You'd like Tails, Ash. He's really smart, but he's just a kid. He's about as old as your brain." Sonic grinned slightly. "Yeah, he'd like you, too. I never told him I had an older brother. Never told anybody. No one really knows that much about my past, ya know?"

"Except me," Ashura spoke up. Sonic nodded. "Yeah . . . Sometimes I wonder about Mom and" He shut himself up immediately.

"Daddy's dead," Ashura whispered. "I know," Sonic murmured. "I'm sorry, Ash."

"Me, too."

"Don't be. It wasn't you."

"It was," Ashura insisted. "I . . . I can't remember what I did, but . . . I know it was me. I know." He slowly shifted his eyes to meet Sonic's. "Will you tell me? What I did?"

". . . No."

Sonic was done talking. He turned away from Ashura and squirmed beneath the sheet. " 'Night. Turn off the lamps when ya go to bed, okay?"

"Okay." said Ashura quietly. But for many minutes afterward, he remained perched on the edge of Sonic's bed. He really didn't want to sleep by himself. Sonic's bed was big enough for two. Maybe more, if you were counting in hedgehogs' size.

Besides, he wanted to be close to his little brother. Just for . . . love. And also to protect him. Akuma might sneak up and hurt Sonic in the middle of the night, while Ashura was sound asleep on the other side of the room.

The big hedgehog stood and switched off the bedside lamps, plunging the room into complete darkness. He stood there for a few seconds, shivering with fear. Dark . . . Alone . . .

He scrambled back across the room, to Sonic's bed. He let himself down onto it cautiously, not wanting to disturb the other hedgehog in case he was asleep.

He was just getting underneath the sheet when he heard Sonic's sleepy voice: "The hell're you doin'?"

"I-I'm just going to bed . . ."

"Y'got yer own bed. Go get in it."

"Sonic, I . . ."

"Oh, what? Scared of the dark?" Sonic's voice was mocking now. "Ya think the boogeymen under the bed are gonna get'cha? Big ugly vampires in the corner?"

"Sonic, stop," Ashura almost cried, clenching the sheet in one fist. His frightened tone made Sonic ease up on him. "You know I was playin'. Nothin's gonna get'cha. Now go to bed."

"I want to sleep with you."

"Ash . . ." _I'm not the one who should be giving this talk,_ Sonic thought as he sat up. "Look . . . We're not kids anymore. We . . . We can't be . . . _close_ like this."

"Why?"

"It's . . . It's just wrong, okay? Morally, socially and politically wrong. Guys and guys just . . . can't . . . _be _together. Now will you please get in your own bed?"

Ashura cocked his head. "Boys can't love each other anymore?"

"No . . . Well, yeah . . . Damn it, Ashura, I can't explain this to you. Ask Sakana or someone in the morning."

Ashura didn't respond for several seconds. Then, he got out of Sonic's bed. "I knew it," he whispered. Sonic didn't say anything more; just listened as Ashura shuffled across the room to his own lonely bed.

About three minutes later, the cobalt hedgehog got up out of his bed and tiptoed across the room. He stopped at the foot of Ashura's bed and listened. His big brother's breathing was slow and deep: he was pretty far gone, if not already asleep. Sonic continued on until he was standing near Ashura's headAt least, he was pretty sure he was at Ashura's head. It was sort of hard to tell in the pitch dark.

Sonic reached out and searched carefully with his hand until it came to rest on a solid, furry surface: Ashura's forehead. The bigger hedgehog whimpered in his sleep, but didn't stir. Sonic patted his brother slightly and murmured, "Don't get me wrong. I love you, Ashura: in a brotherly way. I'm . . . I'm glad we're back together."

Sonic padded back to his own bed, collapsed into it, and fell into an uneasy sleep within the half hour.


	13. Night Raid

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Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog & Amy Rose are © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog, Lauren Antares, Akuma & the Uni are © me

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**  
13: Night Raid**

Red eyes gleamed through the darkness. Dirty red-and-white sneakers slipped quietly over the tiled floor towards the right-side bed. The red eyes leered down at the sleeping inhabitant of the bed: Sonic the Hedgehog. The ruby-eyed creature reached both hands towards---

_Sonic!!_

Akuma winced. He'd managed to suppress the soul of the body he'd taken, but was not yet strong enough to completely obliterate it. Miles Prower could still see out of his stolen eyes. He could see all of the hell Akuma was causing. He could see Sonic lying there, completely vulnerable in his sleep.

_Don't!! Don't you _dare_ hurt him! _Let me out of here!_ Let me---_

Akuma growled softly and concentrated on forcing Miles's soul back down beneath his own. He was greatly looking forward to the time when he could get rid of the kit altogether and use his own body; unhindered by the small, weak fox shell.

He waited until Tails's presence had faded completely from his head, and then he returned to his objective. He was going to eliminate Ashura's "bodyguards". Ashura himself was quite strong, but he had no will to fight. Sonic and Sakana, on the other hand, were powerful fighters. Sonic was brazen to the point of foolishness and seasoned in battle, and Sakana was intrepid and wielded staggering psychic abilities. They were the barriers protecting that weakling Ashura, and if they were out of the way, the poor Chosen One would be a sitting duck. Even better, he'd be a wreck if anything happened to his loved ones.

Akuma placed his hands a few inches above Sonic's chest, palms facing down, directly over the hedgehog's heart. A swirling black mist appeared on his palms, growing thicker by the second. When the mist no longer fit beneath his hands, it began to drift downward and seep through Sonic's skin.

Before it could fully permeate, Akuma felt a large hand wrap around his neck from behind. "Get away from him," snarled Ashura.

Akuma, not at all worried, smirked. "Not sleeping well?"

"You heard me."

"Do you really think you scare me?" Akuma drove his elbow back into Ashura's stomach, and as the giant hedgehog sank, Akuma spun around and seized his arm: one hand on his wrist and the other hand nearer to his elbow. He started to break Ashura's arm in half. The hedgehog whimpered softly, not having enough breath yet to cry out.

"If you scream, I will kill Sonic." Akuma grinned. He watched with almost euphoric delight as his enemy squirmed on his knees, trying to hold back his shrieks of pain. The hedgehog was crying already, and now that he was able to breathe again, his gasps rattled his whole body.

_Brave boy. He'll do anything to protect his poor little brother. But he can't last. He _will_ scream._

Just as the radius and ulna neared their breaking point, Ashura sprang to his feet with an enraged roar that woke everyone up and down the hall. He brought his free fist crashing straight into Akuma's face, knocking the devil back over Sonic's bed. The little hedgehog sat bolt upright. "What the---"

Akuma recovered immediately from Ashura's blow and pounced on Sonic, knocking him off of the bed and dragging the sheet down with them. After battering Sonic in the face twice with his fist, Akuma tried to twist the sheet around his neck.

_"GET OFF HIM!!"_ Ashura lunged at Akuma, but was met with a powerful kick to the stomach that sent him flying across the room. He smashed into the wall and sank to the floor, nearly unconscious.

Sonic went into a spin move, catching Akuma by surprise. The hedgehog's quills slashed the front of his body almost to ribbons and forced him back. As Akuma crumpled to the floor, Sonic bolted across the room to his fallen brother. "Ashura!"

The Chosen One was barely conscious, and blood trickled out of his mouth. A large bruise had already formed on his abdomen. Sonic wiped the blood away with his knuckles and gave Ashura a few shakes. "Come on, man, wake up."

"Uhh…"

Sonic became aware of movement behind him, and glanced over his shoulder. Akuma had gotten up already. And very slowly, the wounds Sonic had inflicted were healing themselves. "Oh, shit," whispered the blue hedgehog. "Don't say that…" Ashura murmured.

"Ashura, you have a hell of a lot more to worry about than bad words; now get up!"

Akuma raised one hand towards the hedgehogs, and Sonic was sucked back to him by way of telekinetic powers. Akuma caught him by the neck and sneered at Ashura. "I've got him, Ashura. Aren't you going to save him?"

Ashura was still trying to get up. He swayed dangerously on his knees, groaning softly and shaking his head. He knew Sonic was in trouble, but he was too disoriented to help yet. He could just barely see in the darkness of the room, and the blurry figures of Akuma and Sonic he could make out were multiplied a few times by his head injury. Ashura reached out to the smudged images as if they were right in front of him. "Sonic…"

Sonic squirmed angrily in Akuma's grip, sucking what air he could through his teeth. He lifted one foot and shot it back into the devil's groin. The pressure on his neck relieved instantly, and he vaulted away from Akuma, gasping. "I'm over here, stupid!" he yelled at Ashura. Ashura began to stumble in the direction of his voice.

The double doors opened all of a sudden, and there were three Uni servants standing inquisitively in the doorway. "Get out of here!" Sonic shouted at them. "Go get Sakana! Quick!"

Without warning, the doors slammed shut again, catching one unlucky servant's arm and slicing half of it off. Sonic gasped. "No interference," growled Akuma. "I'll have plenty of time to make them suffer after I take over."

_"You son of a bitch!"_ Sonic moved to attack again. Akuma fixed his eyes on the airborne hedgehog, and they glowed faintly. Sonic stopped right where he was: in midair. "Hey---!"

Akuma's eyes glowed brighter. The upper half of Sonic's body snapped back violently, contorting him into a right angle. The hedgehog screamed in pain, but he could not move himself. His body was at the mercy of Akuma's telekinesis.

Now Sonic's head slowly rotated to the left, pushed by an invisible hand farther than it should be able to go. _"Ashura, help me!!"_

The more pain he put Sonic in, the brighter Akuma's eyes shone, and the bigger his grin got. He began to salivate, and a gravelly chortle came out of his throat. This was what he lived for. This was his soul pleasure: Pain. Torture. Unrelenting, unimaginable misery.

_"ASHURA!!!"_

Sonic's final plea was enough to cut through the dazed fog clouding Ashura's mind. He heard the sheer terror in his little brother's voice, and one thought sprang dominant: _Help him._

He ran for Akuma. Akuma was the one hurting Sonic. He would have to be stopped to save Sonic.

Akuma was so wrapped up in his torture of Sonic that he didn't notice the huge hedgehog barreling towards him until it was too late. Ashura hit him at about thirty miles per hour, with his full bulk behind the tackle. The two of them slammed to the floor with Akuma beneath the Chosen One, and the devil heard a crunch from his right shoulder. Sonic, released from Akuma's power, immediately dropped out of the air.

Ashura clenched his hands together and swung them at Akuma's head in what should have been a skull-cracking blow, but a foot slammed up into his chin before he could strike. He toppled over on his back, and Akuma was on top of him, reaching for his throat with one arm; the injured one hung slack. Ashura seized him around the neck first and struggled to push him off. It should have been easy, considering Akuma's small size and weight, but his hellish power made him physically stronger than Ashura. Foam bubbled out through his teeth as he clawed furiously at the air, trying to get a hold of Ashura and throttle him. His hand, fingers hooked like claws, grabbed at the hedgehog's face and tried to put his eye out.

The bedroom doors slammed open once more, and Sakana was there. Her hair and dress billowed, and her eyes glowed a piercing green. _"Akuma!"_

_Nice entrance,_ thought Sonic. The princess looked like a goddess. Even Akuma seemed to be slightly startled by her.

The woman walked into the room, carefully stepping over the servant's twitching severed arm. "You're a coward, Akuma: moving in the dead of night, when we're off-guard."

_"That was the point,"_ Akuma hissed. The pressure on his jugulars was causing his eyes to bulge, making him look all the more maniacal. "Had to catch us by surprise?" Sakana asked. "Unprepared? Does that mean you're afraid to face us head-on?"

Akuma snarled like a rabid canine and tried to lunge at her, but Ashura wouldn't let him go. Akuma flopped on his side, flailing violently at the hedgehog. Sakana raised one hand and formed a sparkling golden ball of energy on her palm. "Ashura, move!"

Ashura didn't hear her command, for he felt like a hand was inside his head, squeezing his brain. It hurt so bad that he couldn't scream; couldn't do anything. He couldn't see, and his body was going numb. He could have been dead already and not known it. And the worst thing about it was: he did not know how to fight an invisible power.

_That's it, _Akuma thought._ That's it. Die._ Ashura's body had locked up, but since he was no longer putting up a fight, Akuma could begin to pull himself free.

Sakana broke out in a sweat; she could not fire off her energy blast at Akuma without having Ashura get hurt as well. "Sonic, stop him!"

"Yes ma'am!" But Sonic was moving too slowly, favoring his sore body.

Ashura started seizing as blood leaked from his ears, eyes and nose. He foamed at the mouth and his eyes rolled back in his head. Akuma started up his terrible, cold laughter again as he slowly pulled Ashura's hand from his throat. "Do you…see now? You may…be physically strong…but how…can you fight psychic power?"

_Crunch._

- - - - -

Amy Rose jumped a mile and nearly fell over. That scream…it was so terrible!

The girl was in her bedroom, wearing silk pajamas and slippers (all pink, of course). She had just been ready to get into bed when she heard the bloodcurdling shriek from downstairs. She knew right away that it was Lauren. Well, of course; she was the only other person in the house. The older girl had fallen asleep on the couch about half an hour earlier, exhausted from crying and worrying.

Amy flew down the stairs, losing both slippers along the way, and was just able to see in the dark living room: Lauren had fallen off the couch and lay in a heap on the floor, still wrapped in the small blanket Amy had laid over her.

"Lauren! Lauren! What happened?"

Lauren was sobbing again. The sounds were muffled, for she had her face pressed into her arm and the blanket. Amy switched on the overhead light, then knelt at Lauren's side and helped her sit up. The older girl's furry face was matted with tears. "Lauren? Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yeah…Oh, my God…" Still horrified, and ashamed of her crying, Lauren pressed her face into her hands. "It was Ashura. He was…Oh God, they were beating him…"

"Who was?"

"Th-this whole city. It was like…a riot. Well, there _had_ been rioting, I guess: there was, like, fire and broken stuff. And this huge crowd, and in the middle was Ashura, and…and they all took turns hitting him. They had him on a chain, and, and they had pipes and boards and…Oh, shit, _everything!_ They were just…"

"Oh my gosh, that's horrible," Amy murmured, feeling sadness surge in her heart. She put her arms around Lauren's quivering shoulders. "What brought that on?"

"I don't know. I'm just so stressed…" Lauren suddenly turned her wide, red eyes on Amy. "Amy, what if…Oh God, what if it was a premonition? Like, like a…"

"No; you can't even _think_ that," Amy reassured her. "You're too worried already. You're gonna get sick."

"I don't care." Lauren wiped her eyes on her arm. "I just want my Ashura back. Then I'll be fine."

"But you've got to keep your strength up so you can look for him," Amy pointed out. Suddenly she found herself longing for Sonic, and tried to push the urge down. Right now she had to look out for her new friend. "How 'bout I make you some tea? And then you can sleep in my room if you want."

Lauren laughed harshly. "Thanks, Amy, but I'm not afraid of the dark."

"I'm not saying you are. I'm just saying maybe you need company."

Lauren shrugged. Companionship wasn't a big thing with her, especially with her reputation as a slut. "I'll take the tea."

"Okay. Come on out in the kitchen."

  
- - - - -

The fox's body went slack.

Something burst in Sonic's mind. He could only think of one thing. _"Taaails!"_

"He is not your friend, Sonic," Sakana reminded the hedgehog as she rushed past. Sonic knew that was true, but at the moment he couldn't comprehend it. He felt like he'd snapped.

Technically, Ashura had just killed Tails.

The hedgehog's hands were still wrapped around Akuma's crushed throat. Ashura himself had stopped seizing, but he still twitched, and his eyes hadn't yet returned to a normal position. Sakana worried that he might have suffered serious brain damage from Akuma's telekinesis. She pried him away from the devil and cradled his upper body in her arms, patting his cheek. "Ashura? Ashura!"

Still dumbfounded, Sonic crawled to Akuma's crumpled body and peered down at him. The beast's eyes were half open, and blood trickled out of his mouth. His neck was sickeningly misshapen.

_We might be fighting Akuma, but it's still Tails who takes the damage._

"Sonic, he's coming around!"

The blue hedgehog scrambled over Akuma and planted himself in front of Sakana. Ashura's eyes were rolling, and he was moaning. He gagged a bit on the blood draining from his nose, and Sakana propped his head higher. Sonic leaned in close. "Ash?…"

"Uhhhssonic…" Ashura tried hard to focus his eyes, and his mouth struggled to form rational words. "Uh…Ah dinn…"

"Is he gonna be okay?" Sonic asked Sakana, concern in his bright emerald eyes. "Give him time," Sakana said. "I will heal him if he doesn't improve."

"Good_ Lord!"_

Two heads turned towards the bedroom doors, where Lady Arisu had almost stepped on the severed arm. Her nearly white face seemed to have grown even paler, and her eyes were wide and shimmering. From the hall, the injured servant could be heard wailing. Arisu struggled to retain her authoritative air. "Uh…Uh…Is the situation under control?"

Sakana opened her mouth to answer, but a different voice arose. "No…" The voice was cold and harsh. Akuma.

Arisu walked closer, intent on getting her first-ever look at this infamous beast. His blood-red eyes rolled for a second, then focused on some distant point. His mouth twisted into an ugly grin, baring his bloodied teeth. "Not over…Never over…Heh heh…" Blood gurgled in his throat as he spoke.

"That can't be," Sakana murmured. "You can't speak. Ashura crushed your throat. You should be dead!"

"It doesn't matter," Akuma growled. "He cannot kill me." He started to laugh, spraying a disgusting shower of blood at the three warriors. Thoroughly revolted, Sonic leapt behind Sakana. "The dead thing's talking. The dead thing's talking. It's friggin' talking."

_"Fool!"_ Akuma spat, spouting even more blood. "Didn't you hear me? No mortal can bring me down! Especially not someone so pathetically weak as Ashura!"

"Bullshit! He just broke your neck!"

"But am I defeated?" Akuma grinned at him.

"You are about to be." Lady Arisu tossed the Enjeru Rod over Akuma's limp body. "Destroy him, Ashura." Noticeable fear crept into Akuma's eyes.

"Mother…He can't." Sakana looked up worriedly at the queen. "Akuma has damaged his brain."

At this, Akuma began to chuckle again. "God, shut _up!"_ Sonic screamed at him.

His vision was very hazy and swimmy, but Ashura could see the Rod lying before him. He knew what he was to do. But he couldn't make his body listen. He tried to move his arm, and his shoulder just jumped. _Go! Get it! Why won't you work?_ he thought in frustration.

Seeing his struggle, Sakana picked up the Rod and placed it in his groping hand. His fingers closed tight around it. "There you go," Sakana murmured. "Do your job."

_"No!!"_ A powerful telekinetic blast slammed Sakana and Ashura into the wall behind them. The impact was so powerful that one of Sakana's spines snapped clean off. She screamed with the pain.

As Sonic's voice had cleared his mind before, Sakana's scream slashed into Ashura's brain and seemed to wake him up.

_You…hurt her…You…hurt Sakana…_

Ashura's face wrinkled into a hateful snarl. _"Leave my friends alone!"_ he bellowed, and with that, the power in the Rod was finally unleased. A fat, electric blue beam of divine energy exploded from the black crystal orb, vaporizing Akuma and blasting an enormous hole in the opposite wall. The beam then sliced through two more bedrooms before abruptly fizzling out.

"…Wow," said Sonic.

Ashura let the Rod fall from his hand. "There," he mumbled, sagging once more in Sakana's arms. She hugged him closer. "Good job."

Arisu was smiling faintly. "The power of gods. I see it at last."

"Mother, this is no time to gawk over the Enjeru Rod's power," Sakana admonished. "We've got an enormous mess, not to mention three injured people."

"Four," Sonic pointed out. "You're bleeding." Sakana's spine had broken off near its root, leaving a round, gaping wound in her back. Violet blood oozed from the hole.

Sakana shook her head. "I will be fine, Sonic. Come here."

"Hey, if anyone's 'fine' around here, it's me." Sonic was lying through his teeth, of course; both eyes were blacked, there was an almost bleeding abrasion on his left cheek, and it hurt him to move due to Akuma's contortions, especially in his backbone. Sakana rolled her eyes, grabbed a hold of the hedgehog's wrist, and dragged him close. "Be still now. I will heal you." And she did just that. Her skin glowed gold, and then the radiance spread over the two hedgehogs she held. The healing power enveloped the three of them like a film of glowing water.

Arisu felt a tug on her gown as she watched the healing spectacle. She glanced down, and then turned her head fully to look down into her youngest daughter's face. "Mother? What happened?" Keera's face should have been dull with sleep, but it was tight with fear instead, and her eyes were too bright. "They took Kaba…And her arm is…lying on the floor."

"You should go back to bed, dear." Arisu picked the child up and carried her out of the room.

"There's a hole in my wall."

"Oh…That's right." The little princess's bedroom was to the right of the hedgehogs'. "Well, would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

"Okay." The queen noticed with much surprise that Keera was sucking her thumb. She hadn't done that since she was only two. When her father had died.

Arisu knew what was wrong. Her daughter was traumatized. Keera should not have seen tonight's events. And then again, if she hadn't come out of her room to see what was going on, she might have died in the Rod's blast. Maybe she was thinking of that, too.

Arisu walked into her room and sat the child on her canopy bed. "Keera, I want you to stay in here. Do not come out at all. You don't need to be bothered with---"

"That was Akuma, wasn't it?" Keera asked softly. "The little animal who was fighting Mr. Ashura. He had powers like Sakana. And he was too strong for that little body. Akuma steals other people's bodies. So that was him."

"Yes…Yes, it was Akuma."

"He did all those bad things. Cut off Kaba's arm. Beat up Mr. Sonic and Mr. Ashura. And he's going to get much stronger and do much worse things."

"Keera---"

"And he got in here. He can go wherever he wishes."

Arisu didn't know what to say to calm her daughter. "Ah…I…I don't want you to worry about him. Sakana and I will protect you. And I know our guests will go out of their way to do the same."

"He'll beat them up. And then…he'll get us." Keera pulled her legs up into the bed, retracted her spines and lay down. Her eyes began to shimmer even brighter, and a single tear managed to edge its way out and down her cheek.

- - - - -

"We'll begin reconstruction of the walls after Akuma is finished. We already have enough to deal with. For now, I suppose we'll just hang blankets over the holes."

"Well, then that's settled. How is the servant? The one who…"

"Taken to the infirmary. She should be all right once the bleeding is stopped."

"Oh, good." Sakana turned and looked at the massive holes in the walls. "I have to say, I didn't expect him to come here. I don't know why. I thought he would stay in the city above ground."

"Like Keera said: he can go wherever he wants." Arisu gazed off into space. "How will we protect our people?"

"You know there is no easy way to this, Mother. People will die. We can only do so much to protect others while our hands are full with Akuma."

Arisu shook her head. "We lost so many six years ago…We moved in here for protection…And now we're being killed off again."

Sakana tried to prevent the flood of memories into her mind, with little success. "Six years ago" was the fault of those blasted humans: one of their tanker ships had run into a small reef and spilled its cargo of thick, black oil. Back then, most of the Uni people had resided in the open ocean, though the Erus' castle had always been in the caverns. Of those who were affected by the oil spill, none survived. That included Arisu's mate, the Lord Hedataru, who had gathered a rescue party to remove his people from the area of the slick. Three weeks after his noble attempts, he was dead too.

Though Sakana wanted to forget, the day was still vivid in her mind. She and baby Keera had been prohibited from seeing their father in his last moments. When Lady Arisu came out of the infirmary and broke the news, Sakana just stared at her in shock. Keera, however, had only been two years old at the time, and went on happily playing with her webbed toes. Sometimes Sakana envied her sister. She had barely gotten to know her father, so his passing hadn't impacted her as much.

The two women shook themselves out of their recollections and stepped into the hedgehogs' room. Their two guests were sitting side-by-side on Sonic's bed. And though Ashura looked comical next to his tiny brother, both of them somehow appeared very small and lost.

"Are you both sure you'll be all right sleeping alone?" Sakana asked them. "Of course," Sonic replied nonchalantly, raising his head sharply. Ashura's response was more delayed, and he looked nowhere near as confident. But he didn't want to look like a wimp, and if Sonic was going to stay, then so would he.

"Would you like to have patrols outside your room?" Sakana asked. "Or maybe I could sleep in here for a while."

"No, Sakana, we're fine," Sonic insisted. "And besides, a patrol wouldn't mean anything. You guys don't stand a chance against him. And how'd he get in so easily in the first place?"

"…I suppose you're right," Sakana conceded. "But really, are you sure---"

_"Yes,"_ Sonic growled.

The princess gave in, though she looked as if she still wanted to argue. Smiling, Lady Arisu touched her shoulder, and the two of them finally left the room, along with the few guards and servants that had been covering the holes.

_"Finally,_ some peace and quiet," Sonic grumbled, flinging himself onto his back. Ashura looked down at him. "She just wanted to make sure we're okay."

"No shit." The smaller hedgehog scrambled to the head of the bed and switched off his lamp. "Bedtime; again. Get the other light, will ya?"

Once more, Ashura turned off his own lamp. And once more, he came back to Sonic's bed. Sonic was lying on his side facing the opposite direction, but he heard Ashura's return. "Go away."

"No." And with that, Ashura made himself comfortable in Sonic's bed.

The blue hedgehog sat up. _Did I hear him say "no"?_ he thought. "Ashura. Get out."

"No. I want to protect you."

"Ya did just fine sleepin' on the other side of the room."

"I'm not going."

"Well, you're not sleeping with me."

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not."

"You can't make me leave."

Sonic's ears perked. _A challenge? All right, you son of a…_He started to push Ashura, hoping to tumble him right off the bed.

The big hedgehog hardly moved. Sonic shoved, and heaved, and even tried using his feet. But when Ashura felt himself moving, he simply clutched the mattress to remain stationary. Sonic couldn't move him but a couple of inches before he collapsed, panting. "Don't…get any ideas…I'm not…done yet…"

Ashura smiled fondly at his little brother. "Yes, you are." He rolled over to face Sonic, and put an arm around him. "Rub it in, why don't ya?" Sonic growled. Ashura chuckled. "Be nice, Sonic."

"I'm through bein' nice."

Ashura smiled and closed his eyes. He knew Sonic's threats were empty. And if Sonic tried to fight with him anymore, he'd just hold him in his arms. Sonic was not strong enough to break out of his grip.

"Good night, Sonic. Have nice dreams."

"Fag."

_Thanks, Ashura.  
  
_

- - - - -

Ugly. _So _ugly.

_Ashura sat on the big rock by the brook, staring down at his reflection in the gently flowing water. He would do this each day for an hour or two, trying to figure out how to make himself look more attractive. But there was nothing he could do. And every day, the water reflected that ugly black face and freakishly placed quill and the blue eyes, too bright against the black fur._

_The bushes rustled a few yards away. Ashura jumped up, his small muscles tight. Nate and the other bullies knew he came here, and would stop by every now and then to torment him. He usually managed to run away, but if they caught him…_

_Someone finally stepped out of the bushes. Ashura scrambled backwards, but forgot to turn around. He fell off the rock and landed hard on his backside with a yelp. As he was getting back up, a voice called, "Ashura! Are you here? It's me, Lauren!"_

_"L-Lauren?" Ashura couldn't believe it. Lauren had come to his secret spot! But what for? Surely she hadn't come to beat him up._

_Lauren started down towards the stream, and Ashura realized she was going to cross it. He didn't want her to mess up any more of her pretty skirts. "L-Lauren, w-w-wait!" he cried, and splashed across the stream to her. She smiled sweetly at him. "What?"_

_"D-don't w-walk in the w-water," Ashura said. "You'll m-mess up your c-c-clothes."_

_"Yeah," Lauren sighed, twirling a strand of her brown hair around her finger. "I got in trouble the other day for getting in the mud."_

_"S-sorry ab-about th-that," Ashura murmured. "I d-didn't r-really n-need h-help, y-you know."_

_"Yeah, you did," Lauren said. "I hate it when those jerks pick on you all the time. You need someone to stick up for you."_

_"L-Lauren?"_

_"What?"_

_"W-why d-do you st-sti-ick up f-for me?"_

_"Why shouldn't I?" Lauren replied. "You never do anything wrong. You're a really nice boy. _Everyone _should be your friend, Ashura."_

_Ashura was blushing, and felt weak. He managed to smile, though it was shaky. "So," Lauren said, looking up and down the stream, "how do I get across? Is there a bridge around here?"_

_"I can carry you," Ashura blurted out clearly. The words weren't even in his mind when he spoke. They just popped out of his mouth. Lauren looked at him in surprise. "You will?"_

_"Um, su---ye---I mean---I, uh…" Ashura was terribly embarrassed, and disgusted with himself. So he ran, leaving Lauren alone by the stream._

_"Ashie!!"  
  
_

- - - - -

Ashura woke up from his memory dream with a sharp cry. It took him several seconds to remember where he really was: under the ocean, in the Erus palace, in bed. When he saw Sonic lying next to him, he gave a little gasp. Then he remembered that he had met Sonic already, and the events of yesterday came back to him in an almost painful flash. He whimpered and lowered his head onto the pillow.

_I want Lauren._

Strange; he hadn't thought of Lauren in months. The agonizing dreams he'd had of his sweet friend had plagued him for nearly all the years since he'd been abandoned. When they finally stopped, he'd been relieved. No more waking up sobbing, and with a bad ache in his heart.

But the dreams were back, apparently. And so was his heartache.

Ashura clutched the bed sheet tight in one fist and pressed his face into the pillow, muting his sobs.

_I want Lauren…_

* * *

**A/N: **OMGWTFBBQ did they do to QuickEdit? It's all...fucky now. Took me forever to get this chapter to look right. AND OMG THEY TOOK OUT THE INDENTS!!!!! NOW WE GOTTA DOUBLE-SPACE CRAP! I never liked double-spacing, for some reason. Cuz i r retrd.


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